and he willingly stepped up on the raised floor where we sat, and stood before the Moolah; though, I am persuaded, not without some uncomfortable sensations, for he was very much indisposed to speak to us-very white in the face-and, once or twice, his legs trembled, as I perceived from his loose trowsers; whether from a troubled conscience, or only from the impressiveness of the scene, I cannot divine. Thus he stood before the Priest, who went over a form of words in Ara bic, two words at a time, so that the man might repeat them after him. They might be about five sentences. I did not understand them; but they ended with the usual declaration, That there is but one God, and Mahomed is the Prophet of God. The man was then immediately taken out of the room. The Governor then called the English Dragoman up to him, and was engaged five minutes in close conversation. Mr. Werry, who understands Turkish, says it was only some Consular business. After compliments, we left the room. From the man's being brought in to his being taken out, was about five minutes. To-day, being Friday, he will probably be taken to the bath, and circumcised. In the evening I called on the Bishop, and mentioned what I had in the morning witnessed with so much pain. I asked whether the Greeks ever turn Turk, in this way? The Assistant Bishop was sitting with him. They confessed, that sometimes they do; generally in consequence of intrigues with women; when they are obliged to turn Turk and marry them. The Greek children, when in a violent passion, will often threaten their parents that they will turn Turk. I afterward called on a very intelligent and philanthropic Englishman, to whom I related what had taken place. He said, that some few had succeeded in afterward running away; and, he added-" You have no idea how bad the character of some of the lower Europeans is here. It seems almost necessary to let them suffer their deserts." The last Hours of MELANCTHON, who died 19th April, 1560, aged 63.From the Life of Melancthon, by Francis Augustus Cox, A. M. His mind was in a very cheerful state, and he often betrayed his characteristic humour. He spoke of death with composure, and of his friend Pomeranus, who had died about two years before. He said, that he dreaded nothing so much as becoming a useless cumberer of the ground, and prayed that if his life were protracted, he might be serviceable to the youth under his care, and to the Church of Jesus Christ. On the fifteenth he conversed much with Camerarius on the language of Paul, which he appropriated; "I have a desire to depart, and to be with Christ." He criticised upon the Greek terms, which, he said, ought to be rendered, "Having a desire to remove, pass on, or set about proceeding in the journey;" that is, to go from this life of toil and wretched ness to the blessed rest of heaven. When Camerarius thought of tak-. ing a final leave of him on the six teenth, he said, "My dear Doctor Joachim, we have been joined in the bond of friendship forty years, a friendship mutually sincere and affectionate. We have been helpers of each other with disinterested kindness in our respective stations and employments as teachers of youth, and I trust our labours have been useful; and though it be the will of God that I die, our friendship shall be perpetuated and cultivated in another world." Camerarius, however, determined to remain a little longer with his departing friend, and accordingly disregarded, during this interesting interval, the claims both of his public and private affairs. nued to manifest great cheerfulness, but, if it were at any time disturbed, his distress appeared to arise rather from the sympathy he felt with the suffering Church, whenever its trials were reported to him, than from even the acute paroxysms of his disease. His friends had conversed with him on this subject during the evening repast, but he afterwards enjoyed a calm night. In his sleep he said he had dreamt of the words of Paul, which were forcibly impressed upon his mind, and afforded him much consolation, "If God be for us, who can be against us?" Melancthon conti- rents, who will be solicitous for their welfare, as much as I could ever be : but I feel for the state of public affairs, especially for the Church of Christ in this cavilling and wicked age. Through the goodness of God, however, our doctrine is made public." A little afterwards he addressed some present, "God bestows talents on our youth; do you see that they use them aright." In the course of the same day, seeing one of his grand-children near him, "Dear child," said he, " I have loved you most affectionately: see that you reverence your parents, and always endeavour to please them, and fear God, who will never forsake you. I pray you may share his constant regard and benediction." He spoke in similar terms of tenderness and piety to all the younger branches of his family, who were deeply sensible of his approaching departure. Early in the morning of the seventeenth, Camerarius took his final leave. Melancthon had finished some letters to the Duke of Prussia and to several friends, which he had been preparing during the whole of his illness, and expressed his intention of writing more, but for the interdiction of his physician. When Camerarius bid him farewell-with a last and affectionate benediction, he replied, " Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who sitteth at the right hand of the Father, and giveth gifts to men, preserve you and yours, and all of us!" Soon afterwards having received information that the Roman Pontiff was meditating a general council, he said he would rather die than attend it, for it was easy to foresee both the dissensions it would occasion, and the inutility of its meeting. Feeling the pressure of increasing pain, and infirmity, he said, "O Lord make an end." On the eighteenth his bed was removed, by his own desire, into the library, which he had continually frequented during his illness, upon which occasion he said with great cheerfulness, as he was placed upon it," This may be called, I think, my travelling couch if I should remove in it." While several friends were standing about his bed, he said, "By the blessing of God I have now no particular domestic anxieties, for with respect to my grand-children, whom I tenderly love, and who are now before my eyes, I am comforted to think they are in the hands of pious and beloved pa * On the same day, after discoursing with his son-in-law upon all his private affairs, and having in vain searched for the will he had formerly written, containing an explanation of some of the principal articles of his faith, which he was desirous of transmitting to posterity, he attempted to compose another, which increasing weakness would not allow him to finish. It began thus: "In the year 1560, on the eighteenth day of April, I write this will briefly, according to the best of those remaining abilities which God vouchsafes me in my present illness. I have twice before written the confession of my faith, and gratitude to God and our Lord Jesus Christ, but these papers are missing; nevertheless, I wish my confession to be considered an answer to whatever relates to the Bavarian articles, in opposition to the errors of the Papists, the Anabaptists, the followers of Flacius and others." After this he conferred with his sonin-law upon a diversity of subjects relative to the interests of the University, and expressed his wish that Peucer might be his successor in that institution. Letters having been transmitted to him from Frankfort, relative to the 1 persecutions which at this period raged in France, he declared, that his bodily disease was not comparable to the grief of his mind, on account of the miseries which the Church of Christ suffered." The nineteenth of April was the last day of his mortal existence. After the usual medical inquiries of the morning, he adverted again to the calamitious state of the Church of Christ, but intimated his hope that the genuine doctrine of the Gospel would ultimately prevail, exclaiming, " If God be for us, who can be against us?" After this he presented fervent supplications to heaven, mingled with groanings, for the welfare of the Church. In the intervals of sleep, he conversed principally upon this subject with several of his visiting friends, amongst whom were the pastor and other officers of the Church, and the professors of the University. Soon after eight in the morning, awaking from a tranquil sleep, he distinctly, though with a feeble voice, repeated a form of prayer which he had written for his own daily use, and which was as follows: " Almighty, omnipotent, everliving and true God, Creator of heaven, and earth, and men, together with thy coeternal Son our Lord Jesus Christ, who was crucified for us, and rose again, and thy holy, true, living, and pure Spirit; who art wise, good, faithful, merciful, just, the dispenser of life and of truth, independent, holyand our Redeemer; who hast said thou willest not the death of a sinner, but rather that he should retum unto thee and live-and hast promised, "Call upon me in the day of trouble, and I will hear thee." I confess myself before thy footstool a most miserable sinner, and offender against thee in a great variety of respects, on which account I mourn with my very heart, and implore thy mercy for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord, who was crucified, and rose again, seeking the remission of all my sins, and justifica tion before thee, by, and through thy Son Jesus Christ, thy eternal word, and image, wonderful and inexpressible in counsel, infinite in wisdom and goodness; and that thou wouldst sanctify me by thy true, living, pure, and Holy Spirit. May I truly acknowledge and firmly believe in thee, obey thee, give thanks to thee, fear thee, invoke thee, serve thee, and through grace. be admitted to thy presence in eternity, the almighty and only true God, Creator of heaven, and earth, and men, the everlasting Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the presence of Jesus Christ thy Son, thy eternal word and image, and the holy, true, living, and pure Spirit, the Comforter. In thee have I hoped, O Lord: let me never be confounded = in thy righteousness deliver me. Make me righteous, and bring me unto life eternal: thou hast redeemed me, O Lord God of truth. Keep and overrule our churches, our government, and this academy, and bestow upon us a salutary peace and government. Rule and protect our princes. Cherish thy Church, gather and preserve it in these provinces, sanctify and unite thy people by thy Holy Spirit, that we may be one in thee, in the true knowledge and worship of thy Son Jesus Christ, who was crucified for us, and raised again. Amen. "Almighty and eternal Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who art the eternal word and image of the eternal Father, our Mediator and Intercessor, crucified for us, and raised again, I give thee most hearty thanks that thou didst assume humanity, and art become my Redeemer, and having suffered and risen again in human nature, dost intercede on my behalf. I beseech thee regard and have mercy on me, for I am poor and defenceless. By thy Holy Spirit increase the light of faith in me, and, weak as I am, sustain, rule, protect, and save me. In thee, O Lord, have I hoped, let me never be confounded. "Almighty and Holy Spirit, the Comforter, pure, living, true-illuminate, govern, sanctify me, and confirm my heart and mind, in the faith, and in all genuine consolation; preserve and rule over me, that dwelling in the house of the Lord all the days of my life to behold the beauty of the Lord, I may be and remain for ever in the temple of God, and praise him with a joyful spirit, and in union with all the heavenly Church. Amen." An interval of repose having elapsed after repeating this prayer, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and turning to his son-in-law, said, " I have been in the power of death, but the Lord has graciously delivered me." This was supposed to refer to some deep conflicts of mind, as he repeated the expression to others. When some of the bystanders said, "There is now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus," he soon added, "Christ is made to us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption." "Let him that glorieth glory in the Lord;" and often repeated, "Lord have mercy upon me." After this he took a little refreshment for the last time, and though he attempted to proceed with the testamentary paper he had begun the preceding day, he soon found it impossible to support such an effort, but signified his acquiescence in the divine disposal. The coldness of death was now creeping over him, but his mental faculties continued unimpaired to the very last breath of mortal existence. Having expressed a wish to hear some passages from the Old and New Testaments, his ministerial attendants read the twenty-fourth, twenty-fifth, and twenty-sixth Psalms, the fiftythird chapter of Isaiah, the seventh chapter of John, the fifth of the Romans, and many other passages. The declaration of John respecting the Son of God, he said was perpetually in his mind, "the world knew him not..... but as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name." In addition to the passages of Scripture already mentioned, he frequently solaced himself with the following, "God so loved the world that he sent his only begotten Son into the world, that whosoever believeth on him might not perish, but have everlasting life;" "Whoso seeth the Son, and believeth on him, hath eternal life;" "Being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ;" and expressed the great consolation they afforded his mind. He earnestly exhorted his son-in-law to the study of peace, and whenever the prevailing religious contentions were mentioned, he would continually reply in the language of the the son of Jesse, "Let them curse, but bless thou," and "my soul hath dwelt with them that hateth peace. I am for peace, but when I speak they are for war." In the afternoon another paper was written to the students by the professors, excusing their non-attendance to the usual duties of the day on account of Melancthon's dangerous situation, with which they deeply sympathized, and entreating their united prayers during the usual hours of study on his behalf; for he considered it impossible he should be able long to struggle with his disease, unless nature were divinely assisted and supported. It may easily be believed that this intimation made a powerful impression throughout the University, and that all the passages leading to the house of this beloved tutor became crowded with anxious inquirers. Upon being asked by his son-in-law if he would have any thing else, he replied in these emphatic words, "ALIUD NIHIL NISI CELUM." i, e.. NOTHING ELSE-BUT HEAVEN! and desired that he might not be any further interrupted. Soon afterwards he made a similar request, entreating those around him who were endeavouring, with officious kindness, to adjust his clothes, "not to disturb his delightful repose." After some time his friends united with the minister present in solemn prayer; and several passages of Scripture, in which he was known always to have expressed peculiar pleasure, were read, such as, "Let not your heart be troubled, ye believe in God, believe also in me." "In my Father's house are many mansions." "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me;" particularly the fifth of the Romans, and the triumphant close of the eighth chapter, commencing, " If God be for us, who can be against us?" Many other parts of Scripture were recited, and the last word he uttered, was the German particle of affirmation Ia, in reply to Vitus Winshemius, who had inquired if he understood him while reading. The last motion which his friends, who surrounded him to the number of at least twenty, could discern, was a slight motion of the countenance, which was peculiar to him when deeply affected with religious joy!" Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright, for the end of that man is peace." 1 At length, " in the midst of solemn vows and supplications," at a quarter of an hour before seven o'clock in the evening of the nineteenth of April, one thousand five hundred and sixty, at the age of sixty-three years, two months and three days, he gently breathed his last. No distractions of mind, no foreboding terrors of conscience agitated this attractive scene. His chamber was "privileged beyond the common walks of virtuous lifequite in the verge of heaven" and he expired like a wave scarcely curling to the evening zephyr of an unclouded summer sky, and gently rippling to the shore. It was a "DEPARTURE"-a "SLEEP"-" the earthly house of this tabernacle was DISSOLV ED!" Surely then, "such a pious and tranquil removal from a toilsome and afflictive life ought to be a subject of joy rather than of lamentation, and each of us should entreat God, that in the possession of a similar peace of conscience, firm faith, acknowledgment of the truth, and ardent devotion of mind, he would conduct us from our present imprisonment to his eternal presence." Information of this event was immediately transmitted to the Elector, and means were adopted to bury him with suitable circumstances of respect. To gratify the anxious crowds who were desirous of seeing the body of this venerable person, the public were permitted for a day and a half after his decease to inspect his mortal remains; and of the hundreds who availed themselves of the opportunity, none could resist bestowing an abundant tribute of tears upon his beloved memory. Strangers who had never seen him while living, pressed to take a view of the yet undeparted symmetry of his amiable countenance, and all who came were desirous of obtaining a pen, a piece of paper, however small, on which he had written, or, in short, any thing he had used, however insignificant in itself, which was scattered on the floor of the library. His remains were placed in a leaden coffin, and deposited close to the body of Martin Luther-" lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in their death they were not divided." A long Latin inscription was written on the coffin, containing a chronological notice of the principal circumstances of his life. Some of the professors in the University attended in funeral robes to convey the body to the parochial Church, where it was placed before the altar, and after the usual ceremonies and psalms, Doctor Paul Eberus, pastor of the Church at Wittemberg, delivered a funeral discourse; after which, the body being removed into the centre of the Church, Doctor Vitus Winshemius pronounced an oration in Latin. The crowd of students, citizens, strangers, and persons of every class attracted together to witness these solemnities, was never exceeded on any occasion within the memory of the spectators. Among the rest were several of the professors from the University of Leipsic, and many of the nobility, pastors of churches and others, from a large vicinity. FOR THE CHRISTIAN JOURNAL WHEN Cyrus, the Persian monarch, previously, however, to his advancement to the Imperial throne, and while yet the commander of the united armies of Media and Persia, was engaged in a war with Cræsus, king of Lydia, he at length took the king, after besieging Sardis, where he was shut up, and resolved on putting him to death by burning. For this purpose he prepared a large pile of wood, and bound Cresus on its top. Just as fire was about to be put to the pile, Cræsus cried out, Solon, Solon, Solon, three times. Cyrus demanded the reason |