rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt," Is. lvii. 20; and, therefore, the prophet adds, with no less truth than solemnity, "There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked." Ver. 21.

II. Religion is a fountain of pleasure to the soul in every circumstance of life. The region of peace is also the seat of pleasure; and religion, which blesses the soul so abundantly with peace, makes it likewise, at the same time, and from the same causes, to overflow with pleasure. "All her paths are peace;" and therefore it is, that, as Solomon observes, "her ways are ways of pleasantness." Prov. iii. 17. "I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches," saith the holy Psalmist. Ps. cxix. 14. Whoever has felt the stings of guilt and remorse, may easily conceive something of the joys of a heart at peace with itself. "A stranger doth not intermeddle with this joy," Prov. xiv. 10; and outward accidents cannot rob a man of it. It is like a pure perennial spring, that is never dried up by the heats of summer, nor disturbed by the winter storms. The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmities when it is so supported.

Therefore, said our Saviour to his disciples, "Blessed are ye when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad; for great is your reward in heaven." Matt. v. 11, 12. So, also, the Apostle Peter speaks," Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the Spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you." 1 Pet. iv. 12-14. Upon these words, the Apostle Paul writes, "We glory in tribulations also." Rom. v. 3. Farther, "I am filled with comfort, I am exceeding joyful in all our tribulations." 2 Cor. vii. 4. And upon the same grounds, he gives this exhortation, "Rejoice evermore." 1 Thes. v. 16.

III. Religion is the only thing that can secure to a man the enjoyment of God. In some sense, men are capable of enjoying God in this world. They are capable of enjoying the smiles of his countenance and the fruits of his favour, of holding a blessed intercourse and correspondence with him, and deriving from him the rich and unspeakable communications of his grace. Besides, they are capable of the hope of a full and immediate enjoyment of God hereafter; and he who hopes, may already be said to enjoy in part. This it is which sweetens all the toils of life, and powerfully supports a man in every step of his weary pilgrimage on earth; and without all controversy, it is religion alone, or the fearing God and the keeping of his commands, that can put any man in a capacity of enjoying God in this sense. "This." saith the Apostle John, "is the message

you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth." 1 John i. 5, 6. So also the Apostle Paul, "What fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?" 2 Cor. vi. 14. To the same purpose the Psalmist, "Thou art not a Godthat hath pleasure in wickedness; neither shall evil dwell with thee. The foolish shall not stand in thy sight; thou hatest all workers of iniquity." Ps. v. 4, 5. Whereas," the righteous Lord lov eth righteousness; his countenance doth behold the upright." Ps. xi. 7. Again, "Let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice; let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them; let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee. For thou, Lord, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield." Ps. v. 11, 12. Once more," The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles." Ps. xxxiv. 17. To them it is said by our blessed Saviour, " Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." Luke xi. 9. And, “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children; how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?" Ver. 13. Finally, great and glorious is "the hope which is laid up for you in heaven." Col. i. 5. "Christ in you, the hope of glory." Ver. 27. In a word, religion assimilates the soul to God. The fear of God and the keeping of his commands, is that which forms men to a resemblance of him. This is the effect of prayer and devotion, of faith, and love, and hope, and every branch of religious or Christian duty; and men are only capable of enjoying God, in any sense, in so far as they are like to him.

This is the great eternal reason, for which religion is so absolutely necessary to the enjoyment of God in heaven, as we are everywhere in Holy Scripture taught to believe it is. The full and immediate enjoyment of God is reserved for the heavenly state; and to enjoy him in that state, is the consummation of the Christian's hope and happiness. Nothing is wanting to complete the felicity of the saints in heaven. "Now we see through a glass darkly; but then face to face; now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known." 1 Cor. xiii. 12. O the fulness of joy that is in the unvailed presence of God! O the pleasures that are at his right hand for evermore! Crowns and kingdoms, and all the most envied glories of this lower world, are nothing when compared with the happiness of enjoying God in heaven; of being ever with the Lord, and seeing him as he is; "of following the Lamb wheresoever he goeth," Rev. xiv. 4; "of dwelling in the New Jerusalem, where the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the only temple; and where there is no need either of the sun, or of the moon to shine, for the glory of God

doth lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. Happy the nations of them which are saved, who shall walk in the light of it!" Rev. xxi. 22-24. Eye hath not seen, ear hath not heard, nor can it enter into the heart of man to conceive, the riches and greatness of this felicity! Certainly, a man cannot have half the contempt for the play-things of a child, that a soul in heaven, blessed with the enjoyment of God, must have for all the territory, and power, and treasure of this lower world.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF

PHILIP MELVILL, ESQUIRE, LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR OF PENDENNIS IN CORNWALL,

THE subject of the following Sketch was born at Dunbar on the 7th of April 1762. His father, who was collector of customs in that town, knew from personal experience the exalted enjoyments of the true Christian, and aided, therefore, by his wife, who was also a woman of sincere piety, he sought to train up his children in the fear of the Lord. Philip was the fourth and youngest son, and being naturally of a mild and gentle disposition, he was the favourite of his mother. Frequently would she take him along with her in her solitary walks through the woods and fields which surrounded their delightful country-seat, about five miles from Dunbar, and directing his youthful mind to the wonders of creation, she taught him to think of that Almighty Being by whom they were at first brought into being.

The instructions which on such occasions he received, enforced, as they were, with all the tenderness and affertion of a mother's fondness, made an indelible impression upon young Melvill's heart. Many years afterwards, when it might have been supposed the lapse of years would have effaced from his memory all recollection of the events of his early days, we find him exclaiming, with the utmost enthusiasm, "Dear, dear mother, how soothing and delightful is the very name! how much more the remembrance of thy kind offices of love and of all the sweets of thy society, the frequent walk by thy dear side along the flowery path,the benign expression of thy countenance,-the instruction which flowed from thy lips, gentle and insinuating as the dew, thy pious concern to raise my childish thoughts from nature up to nature's God-thy faithful and earnest expostulations when my sinful heart led me astray!"

Thus early imbued with the principles of religion, he took his place at the communion-table before he had completed his sixteenth year; and having solemnly dedicated himself to God, he felt that he was now bound by the strongest of all obligations to live "soberly, and righteously, and godly in the world." The time was fast approaching when it was necessary that he should choose a profession. Young Melvill, attracted by the glitter and the gaudy show of a military life, hastily resolved to be a soldier, and his father, not deeming it his duty to oppose his son's inclinations, soon procured for him a commission in the 73d regiment, then under the command of Lord Macleod. The condition on which this commission was obtained was, that the young officer should raise a certain number of men. This, accordingly, he succeeded in effecting by the assistance of some of his relations in the north of Scotland whom he visited for that purpose. On his return from this northern excursion young Melvill spent a few weeks under his father's roof before joining his regiment, which was destined for foreign service. This was to the whole family a time of much anxiety, and the parents eagerly embraced every opportunity of

tendering to the young man those advices and warnings which they regarded as suitable to the occasion. At length the parting day arrived. His father, with outstretched hand and fervent prayer, commended him

to the care of the Almighty, and they parted never more to meet in this world. His mother accompanied him as far as Haddington, eleven miles from Dunbar. Here they knelt down together, and with strong crying and tears she committed her darling son to the keeping ably her own God. Rising from her knees the good of Him who had hitherto proved himself so remarkwoman embraced her son and gave vent to her feelings in these words: "My Philip, what a mercy it is that we know not what is to come; wisely and graciously hath the Lord concealed from us the sorrows that await us; we should otherwise be unnerved and unfitted for the duties of life."

Having received his mother's parting blessing, the young man set out for Elgin where his regiment was quartered. Here he found himself suddenly involved in all the gaiety of a military life; but by the merciful interposition of that God to whose protection he had been committed, Mr Melvill was graciously preserved in the midst of temptation. An experienced officer in the regiment was led to take an interest in him, and by the fatherly advice and excellent example of this individual, the young soldier was persuaded to avoid the company of ungodly associates, and to prosecute his studies with a view to promotion.

In a short time the regiment, consisting of a thousand men, being considered fit for service in the field, they marched from Elgin to Fort George in May 1778, whence they were conveyed in transports to embark for the East Indies. On their arrival at Portsmouth, however, they were too late for the East India fleet of that season, and they were ordered to Guernsey. There they were quartered till the following December, when they removed to Petersfield, where they remained till their final embarkation for India in March 1779.

When the regiment were about to embark, a mutiny broke out in one of the companies, from the prevalence among them of an absurd report that they were sold by government to the East India Company. By the prudence and firmness, however, of the superior officers, particularly of Lord Macleod, the mutiny was soon quelled, and the regiment quietly embarked on board the vessels appointed to receive them. During the voyage, Lieutenant Melvill was seized with a fever which broke out among the troops, and for some time his life was despaired of; but at length, by the kindness of Providence, he recovered. The passage was tedious, extending to ten months; and it was with no small joy, therefore, that on the 8th of January 1780, they found the fleet safely anchored in Madras Roads.

At the time when Lieutenant Melvill arrived in India, matters were in a very critical state. The British power in that country appeared to be tottering; and Hyder Ali, with his son Tippoo Sahib, had brought an immense army into the field, resolved to wrest from the English a territory which he considered they had unjustly won. With the view of opposing these powerful princes, large reinforcements of soldiers were from time to time despatched from the shores of Britain; and it was with the same design, that Lieutenant Melvill had, along with his regiment, been ordered to the East. No sooner had he set foot in India, than his services in the field were required; and in the first engagement with Hyder Ali's army, he received a severe wound, which, had it not been for the peculiar arrangements of Providence, would have proved fatal. The circumstances are thus stated in his published life:By this wound the bone of his left arm was shattered. A few instants after, as he was turning round to give the word of command, a ball passed through the same arm and part of his left breast. Had he been

standing in this particular position, at the very instant of receiving the wound, it must, from the direction the ball took, have proved fatal. The enemy's cavalry having penetrated into our ranks, after the surrender, in the confusion and carnage which ensued, the muscles of his right arm were cut in two by a sabre, and he was dashed unmercifully on the ground. After this, he was dragged by the heels for a considerable space, his head striking against the stones, and his disjoined arms trailing over the ground; he was then stript of all his clothes, including even his shirt; and while lying on the ground, naked, helpless, and writhing in dreadful agony, a barbarian horseman, with wanton cruelty, pierced his back with a spear. In this miserable situation, he lay two days and two nights, exposed to the intense heat of a burning sun by day, to the danger of being torn to pieces by beasts of prey, and, what was more dreadful than any or all circumstances of suffering united, to the intolerable pangs of burning thirst, without the smallest means of mitigation. After having endured the most indescribable sufferings, under which he would, in all human probability, have perished, had it not been for the humane and generous attentions of a fellow-sufferer, (Lieutenant Forbes,) he was at last, on the morning of the third day, picked off the field by some of the enemy, who, merely for the sake of the reward of ten rupees offered for bringing in a European alive, carried him, in the most cruel and insulting manner, into their camp."

After remaining several days in the enemy's camp in this miserable state, Lieutenant Melvill was conveyed to Arnee, and afterwards to Bangalore, where, along with several of his brother officers, he was thrown into prison, and treated with the most savage cruelty and severity. Though his body was racked with pain and enfeebled by sickness, all medicine was denied him. For nearly four years, this barbarous treatment was the unhappy doom of our young soldier. His couch, to use his own words, "was the ground spread with a scanty allowance of straw; the same wretched covering which shielded the limbs from nakedness by day, served also to enwrap them by night. The sweepings of the granary were given him for food in any dirty utensil or broken earthen pot."

For a long time, Lieutenant Melvill and his companions almost despaired of deliverance from the horrors of their confinement. Peace, however, having been concluded, the prison-doors were thrown open, and the poor emaciated inmates once more saw the light of day. In an ecstacy of joy, they embraced one another, and marched from their narrow cells with hearts filled with the liveliest emotions of gratitude to God as they gazed on the glorious canopy of heaven, which had been so long hid from their view. All around them appeared beautiful, because all was new, and therefore interesting. Advancing by easy marches, the prisoners at length entered the frontier town of Vellore on the 25th of April 1784.

Lieutenant Melvill, who was now advanced to the rank of Captain, was disabled from service both by his wounds and the general state of his health. Instead, however, of returning to England, he spent some time with a brother who was resident in Bengal. It was a joyful, yet a melancholy meeting; for, in addition to all the complicated sufferings through which the Captain had passed since they last met, news had recently reached India of his father's death-an event which, to the brothers, was a source of heart-felt sorrow.

Early in the year 1786, Captain Melvill returned to his native land. On entering the Channel, he became so impatient to tread once more on British ground, that he went ashore at Falmouth. The view of Pendennis Castle particularly attracted his notice as he approached the harbour, and he secretly thought, if he should ever be permitted to choose his residence, he

would prefer that place to any other. Little did he then know, that in the mysterious providence of God, the time would yet come when his wish should be falfilled.

From Falmouth he proceeded to London, and remaining there only a very short time, he hastened northward to revisit the place of his birth. But how painful the change which presented itself to his reflecting mind! Seven short years had passed since he left his father's house; and already both father and mother were buried in the dust, or rather were now inhabitants of that brighter and better world where change is unknown. The family seat, where he had spent many a happy day, was now occupied by strangers. Everything bore the impress of change,-and was there no change in himself? Yes, he too was changed. He had gone forth from beneath his father's roof a comely youth, in the bloom of health and vigour; now he returns maimed, disabled, shattered,-a mere wreek of what he once was! At the outset of his career his heart beat high with the hope of military renown; now, at the early age of twenty-four, he returns so utterly disabled by his numerous scars, as to be unfit for service, and all hope of promotion, therefore, at least by his exertions in the field, is gone! In these circumstances, Captain Melvill looked upon the scene of his early days with feelings of the deepest sorrow, and although, in the society and kind hospitality of a brother and sister, who still resided in Dunbar, his griefs were somewhat alleviated, he could but ill conceal the emotions which struggled in his breast.

It was necessary, however, that he should endeavour, without delay, to lay aside vain regrets, and to procure from Government that assistance which his disabled condition so much required. He was no longer fit for active service, and he could only hope, therefore, for such slight promotion as is given to an invalid. Hastening to London, he made known his case by memorial at the War Office, and such was the unexpected interest which the then Secretary at War took in this meritorious young officer, that he procured him, in a few days, the command of an invalid company at Guernsey. This was precisely such a situation as Captain Melvill wished, and he entered upon its duties with the utmost cordiality and zeal. The society in the island was remarkably pleasant, and though vital religion was at rather a low ebb, there were some families distinguished for their sincere and devoted piety. In one of these, the family of Peter Dobree, Esq. of Beauregard, Captain Melvill became a frequent visitor, and in the course of a few months, married the youngest daughter. For some time before his marriage, the impressions of his youth had returned upon him with resistless force, and he began to be much more frequent and earnest in secret prayer. Not that he had ever ceased to feel, amid all the bustle and turmoil of a military life, the importance of religion. Now, however, he resolved, in the strength of divine grace, to lead a life of intimate and endearing com munion with his God. The sincere aspirations of his heart were those of Cowper, expressed in his beautiful hymn

"O! for a closer walk with God,
A calin and heavenly frame,
A light to guide me on the road
That leads but to the Lamb."

The change in his mode of life was quite apparent to all who knew him, and while it surprised some, it displeased others. The course, however, which he now began, he was enabled to carry forward, and, amid all opposition, he persevered in maintaining a most exemplary consistency of character and conduct. The happiness which he enjoyed at this period of his history was greater than is usually alloted to mortals on this side the grave. In worldly circumstances he was casy, his military duty was moderate, and if his prospects of