a costly dress, with a crown of gold, and the band of his turban set with jewels. The child was carried by his mother, who was fancifully attired in scarlet robes, and a deep, flowing, orange-coloured veil. This evening we saw one scene of a marriage-festival,— ‚—a bridegroom surrounded by his guests, who "were bidden to the wedding." They were returning from a garden, whither they had repaired, after the custom of the country, to spend the day in feasting, and were preceded by their national music, and a multitude of people. The bridegroom, richly clothed, with bouquets of flowers carried before him, was easily distinguished in the midst of his friends, who all wore the wedding-garments usual on these occasions, consisting of scarlet robes, and silk attire. Their pace, unlike that of the bride, is quick they hasten to meet her whom their soul loveth. The travelling equipage of an illustrious lady: A curious procession has just passed through the gate: a man dressed in scarlet and white rode first; then came two camels abreast, bearing between them a sort of square, scarlet tent, canopied, and ornamented with fringe of various colours, in which yellow predominated; small flags were mounted all around, set with short spears. The camels' heads were decorated with black ostrich feathers, and the saddles richly hung with scarlet velvet. Two other camels followed in single file, carrying canopies of the same character, but less studiously adorned. A Mahometan festival, commemorative of a saint: Saturday.-Preparations were made this night for "the Moolid of the Sheike" near our house: they began by suspending a few lamps before the door of his tomb, recited а few prayers, and erected a tent for the sale of sweetmeats. Sunday. The whole of this our sacred day was occupied by the Mahometans in merry-making. The space before the tomb was filled with conjurers, combatants with staves, musicians, reciters of the Koran, confectioners, and peepshow exhibitors. Towards sunset all these more profane performers had disappeared; and an immense number of variegated lamps, after the Chinese fashion, were lighted, besides smaller lights extending quite round the square. The effect was by no means contemptible. About seven P.M. the religious party began to make their appearance: they consisted of Sheikes from various mosques, each coming in procession, with musical instruments, such as pipes, cymbals, and derabooks; and numerous meshals* borne before them. A pole forty feet high had been erected, secured by strong ropes like a tent, and decorated with fancy lanterns: from the top a long blue flag floated on the breeze, exhibiting a mosque, and an Arabic motto taken from the Koran. Around this pole the parties arranged themselves, and recited in unison the first chapter of the Koran : then they said prayers in honour of the departed saint, who, judging from this expensive celebration of his anniversary, was highly esteemed. After the recitation they all turned towards the pole, and commenced the usual series of attitudes and changes of tone in uttering the name of Allah; which was continued, with short intervals, throughout the night. From this assembly you might sometimes hear the name of God proceed in a whisper, and then the voice rose gradually to that deep, full sound, so like the rolling of a heavy sea upon the beach; the attitudes all the while changing *The mesh'al is a staff, with a cylindrical frame of iron at the top filled with wood; or having two, three, four, or five of these receptacles for fire." (See Lane's Modern Egyptians.) simultaneously to suit the modulations of voice. The scene was passing strange. The number of the devotees in picturesque costumes; their religious enthusiasm and fervour, so falsely directed; the music; the tasteful illuminations; the meshals; the interludes of strange sound; the crowd of turbaned spectators, to aid the grouping ;-all contributed to make an effective pageant, but one from which the heart of a Christian turned with sad and sickening feeling. The fast of Ramadan: We have passed a most disturbed night, owing to this great Mahometan fast, which commemorates the time when the Koran came down from heaven. The people who are affluent enough, now sleep away the day, and revel during the night; for the fast is only observed by day. The moment after sunset a cannon is fired from the citadel; the sound of joy passes through the city; the Mussulman is absolved from his vows, and he may eat, drink, smoke, and make merry. In consequence of this usage, the door of our street, never one of the quietest, was continually turning on its hinges, and creaking withal, to admit some of the grand Turks, with their meshals, grooms, and running servants; to say nothing of their abuse of the poor old boonah (doorkeeper), if he detained them a second. The city gates leading to Shubra, contrary to ordinary custom, are left open all night; and the coffee-houses, and places of public resort, are unusually frequented. M. WESLEY PAPERS. No. XIII. LETTERS FROM MRS. SUSANNA WESLEY, TO HER ELDEST SON SAMUEL. COMMUNICATED BY THE REV. HENRY FISH, M.A. LETTER II. DEAR SAMMY,-I have been ill a great while; but am now, I thank God, well recovered. I thought to 'have been with you ere this; but I doubt I shall hardly see you this summer: therefore, send me word particularly what you want. I would ere now have finished my discourse begun so long ago, if I had enjoyed more health; but I hope I shall be able to finish it quickly, and then would have you transcribe all your letters; for they may be more useful to you afterwards than they are now, because you will be better able to understand them. I shall be employing my thoughts on useful subjects for you when I have time; for I desire nothing in this world so much, as to have my children well instructed in the principles of religion, that they may walk in the narrow way, which alone leads to happiness. Particularly I am concerned for you, who were, even before your birth, dedicated to the service of the sanctuary, that you may be an ornament of that Church of which you are a member, and be instrumental (if God shall spare your life) in bringing many souls to heaven. Take heed, therefore, in the first place, of your own (soul), lest you yourself should be a castaway. You have had great advantages of education; God has intrusted you with many talents, such as health, strength, a comfortable subsistence hitherto, a good understanding, memory, &c.; and if any one be mis employed or not improved, they will certainly one day rise up in judgment against you. If I thought you would not make good use of instruction, and be the better for reproof, I would never write or speak a word to you more while I live; because I know, whatever I could do, would but tend to your greater condemnation. But I earnestly beg of God to give you his grace ; and charge you, as you will answer for it at the last great day, that you carefully "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling," lest you should finally miscarry. You say, you know not how to keep a secret without sometimes telling a lie. I do not know what secrets you may have: I am sure nobody with you has authority, however, to examine you; but if any should be so impertinently curious to do it, put them civilly off, if you can; but if you cannot, resolutely tell them you will not, satisfy their unreasonable desires : and be sure you never, to gain the favour of any, hazard losing the favour of God, which you will do if you speak falsely. To God's merciful protection I commit you. LETTER III. SUSANNA WESLEY. DEAR SAMMY, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." Examine well your heart, and observe its inclinations, particularly what the general temper of your mind is; for, let me tell you, it is not a fit of devotion now and then speaks a man a Christian; but it is a mind universally and generally disposed to all the duties of Christianity in their proper times, places, &c. For instance: in the morning and evening, or any other time when occasion is offered, a good Christian will be cheerfully disposed to retire from the world, that he may offer to his Creator his sacrifice of prayer and praise; and will account it his happiness, as well as duty, so to do. When he is in the world, if he have business, he will follow it diligently, as knowing that he must account with God at night for what he has done in the day; and that God expects we should be faithful in our calling, as well as devout in our closets. A Christian ought, and in the general does, converse with the world like a stranger in an inn: he will use what is necessary for him, and cheerfully enjoy what he innocently can; but, at the same time, he knows it is but an inn; and he will be but little concerned at what he meets with there, because he takes it not for his home. The mind of a Christian should be always composed, temperate, free from all extremes of mirth or sadness, and always disposed to hear the still small voice of God's Holy Spirit, which will direct him what and how to act in all the occurrences of life, if in all his ways he acknowledge him, and depend on his assistance. I cannot now stay to speak of your particular duties: I hope I shall in a short time send you what I designed. In the mean time, I beg of you, as one that has the greatest concern imaginable for your soul; I exhort you, as I am your faithful friend; and I command you, as I am your parent; to use your utmost diligence to make your calling and election sure; to be faithful to your God: and after I have said that, I need not bid you be industrious in your calling. Sammy, think of what I say; and the blessed God make you truly sensible of your duty to him, and also to me. Renew your broken vows: if you have wasted or misemployed your time, take more care of what remains. If in anything you want counsel or advice, speak freely to me, and I will gladly assist you. I commit you to God's blessed protection. LETTER IV. SUSANNA WESLEY, Dear Sammy,—You cannot imagine how much your letter pleased me, wherein you tell me of your fear lest you should offend God; though, if you state the case truly, I hope there is no danger of doing it in the matter you speak of. Proper drunkenness does, I think, certainly consist in drinking such a quantity of strong liquor as will intoxicate, and render the person incapable of using his reason with that strength and freedom as he can at other times. Now, there are those that, by habitual drinking a great deal of such liquors, can hardly ever be guilty of proper drunkenness, because never intoxicated; but this I look upon as the highest kind of the sin of intemperance. But this is not, nor, I hope, ever will be, your case. Two glasses cannot possibly hurt you, provided they contain no more than those commonly used; nor would I have you concerned though you find yourself warmed and cheerful after drinking them; for it is a necessary effect of such liquors to refresh and increase the spirits; and certainly the divine Being will never be displeased at the innocent satisfaction of our regular appetites. But, then, have a care; stay at the third glass: consider you have an obligation to strict temperance which all have not; I mean your designation to holy orders. Remember, under the Jewish economy it was ordained by God himself, that the snuffers of the temple should be perfect gold; from which we may infer, that those who are admitted to serve at the altar, a great part of whose office it is to reprove others, ought themselves to be most pure, and free from all scandalous actions; and if others are temperate, they ought to be abstemious. Here happened last Thursday a very sad accident. You may remember one Robert Darwin of this town: this man was at Bawtry fair, where he got drunk; and riding homeward down a hill, his horse came down with him; and he, having no sense to guide himself, fell with his face to the ground, and put his neck out of joint: those with him immediately pulled it in again, and he lived till next day; but he never spake more. His face was torn all to pieces, one of his eyes beat out, and his under lip cut off, his nose broken down; and, in short, he was one of the dreadfullest examples of the severe justice of God that I have known. I have been the more particular in this relation, because this man, as he was one of the richest in this place, so he was one of the most implacable enemies your father had among his parishioners; one that insulted him most basely in his troubles, one that was most ready to do him all the mischief he could, not to mention his affronts to me and the children, and how heartily he wished to see our ruin, which God permitted him not to see. This man and one more have been now cut off in the midst of their sins since your father's confinement. I pray God amend those that are left. I am, dear Sammy, Your faithful friend and mother, Epworth, May 22d, 1706. SUSANNA WESLEY. THE CROSS, THE LAST REVELATION. THERE is one more thought in relation to the truth of the cross; and that is, it is the last revelation of God's will to man. The light here reached its zenith. It had been forty centuries in rising, gradually dissipating cloud after cloud; now concentrating, and now diffusing, its rays; now cheering some few selected spots, and now throwing its twilight rays over a larger surface but the cross was its meridian altitude. Nor "shall the sun ever go down, nor the moon ever withdraw itself." As this is the last dispensation of the divine mercy, so is it the last the divine government will ever assume. There cannot be a better. "There remaineth no more sacrifice for sin." There cannot be a greater, and there will not be a less. Under this form of government, with the redeeming God and Saviour at its head, the world will move forward to its close. The dynasty of Moses has passed away; the sceptre of the Prophets, too, is laid low; but they have been succeeded by a "kingdom which cannot be moved,” and under whose alone influence He who died as a malefactor and rose as a Prince will rule and defend his church, and "restrain and conquer all his and her enemies." The changing dispensations of the past have been superseded by this permanent, this last, economy. "Little children," says the beloved John, "this is the last time.” “Now, in the end of the world," says another Apostle, "he hath appeared, to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself." To my own mind this is an affecting thought. To have in our hands the last communication of his truth which the God of love will ever make to lost men; to have bequeathed to us the last will and testament of the expiring Mediator; to have listened to his voice for the last time, until he shall speak with the voice of the archangel and the trump of God; may well awaken emotions that cannot be uttered, and lead us to feel that all other interests and claims are insignificant, compared with the interests of immortal truth, and the claims of the cross. This is the thought that fired the ardent mind of Paul, in one of the most glowing arguments he ever uttered: "See that ye refuse not him that speaketh: for if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape if we refuse him that speaketh from heaven; whose voice then shook the earth; but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. And this word, yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain." He caught the thought from the lingering notes of the Prophet Haggai, who long before had sung, "For thus saith the Lord of Hosts, Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; and the Desire of all nations shall come." Now the time had arrived; it was the last mutation, the final revolution, in the divine government, until this world should pass away, and the elements of which it is composed melt with fervent heat. Already had the voice shook the earth, when Sinai trembled, and Moses introduced the dispensation of the law. But there was to be yet one more voice, that should shake not the earth only, but also heaven. It was his "who in time past spake unto the fathers by the Prophets," and who "in these last days hath spoken to us by his Son." This was the great change, abolishing all former dispensations, itself never to be abolished, but to remain |