might not lay hold of any one for preaching, or as much as reading the psalm, and so imprison any more for that, as they had our ministers.

"Which means the Lord blessed, that many times when the mayor came in they were all singing, so that he knew not who to take away more than another. And so when the mayor, Hellier, or the other informers, had taken our names, and done what they would, and carried away whom they pleased, and when they were gone down out of our rooms, then we ceased singing, and drew the curtain again, and the minister, or brother, would go on with the rest of his sermon, until they came again, which sometimes they would thrice in one meeting. This was our constant manner during this persecution in Ollive's mayoralty, and we were by the Lord helped, that we were in a good measure edified, and our enemies often disappointed.

"We taking this course, after a little while Mr. Week's people did so likewise; they shut up one of their doors, and instead of a curtain, they put a wainscoat board, in a convenient place in their meeting, behind which he that spake did stand, out of sight of the greatest part of the people, and yet all might hear. And they suffer none to come into that part of the meeting but friends. And so, when the informers come, they had the convenience to convey him that spake out of that part of the meeting into another house. "Brother Gifford's people took this course: a company of tall brethren stand about him that speaks, and having near his feet made a trap-door in the floor, when the informers come they let down the brother that spake into a room under. And so their conveniency led them to take that course, keeping one still at the door to give notice.

These extracts are from the Records of the Broadmead Baptist Church, Bristol.

Briefly we may add, that in less than twenty years the English people expelled the Stuarts-those "royal rascals" as they were called, and the "Glorious Revolution" of 1688 restored the civil and religious liberty of the people, which have ever since been preserved and enlarged. We hope our young readers will learn to value the rights and privileges they enjoy.

In the month of October of this year an aged deacon of a baptist church died, whose grandfather, with a thousand more, met at midnight in the "Dell in the wood " to hear John Bunyan preach. In the Baptist Reporter for January we shall give the interesting facts which we have received from a relative of the deceased.

THE WIFE OF JONATHAN EDWARDS.

ONE day in the year 1742 this godly lady sought and obtained what is called "the full assurance of faith;" and she gives her experience in the following glowing words: "I cannot find language to express how certain the everlasting love of God appeared: the everlasting mountains and hills were but shadows to it. My safety, and happiness, and eternal enjoyment of God's immutable love, seemed as durable and unchangeable as God himself. Melted and overcome by the sweetness of this assurance, I fell into a great flow of tears, and could not forbear weeping aloud. The presence of God was so near, and so real, that I seemed scarcely conscious of anything else. I seemed to be taken under the care and charge of my God and Saviour, in an expressibly endearing manner. The peace and happiness which I hereafter felt was altogether inexpressible. The whole world, with all its enjoyments and all its troubles, seemed to be nothing; my God was my all, and my only portion. No possible suffering appeared to be worth regarding; all persecutions and torments were a mere nothing.

At night, my soul seemed to be filled with an expressibly sweet and pure love to God, and to the children of God; with a refreshing consolation and solace of soul, which made me willing to lie on the earth at the feet of the servants of God, to declare his gracious dealings with me, and breathe forth before them my love, and gratitude, and praise.

All night I continued in a constant, clear, and lively sense of the heavenly sweetness of Christ's excellent and transcendent love, of his nearness to me, and of my nearness to him, with an inexpressibly sweet calmness of soul in an entire rest in him. I seemed to myself to perceive a flow of divine love come down from the heart of Christ in heaven into my heart in a constant stream, like a stream or pencil of sweet light. At the same time, my heart and soul all flowed out in love to Christ, so that there seemed to be a constant flowing and reflowing of heavenly and divine love from Christ's heart to mine; and I appeared to myself to float or swim in these bright sweet beams of the love of Christ, like the motes swimming in the beams of the sun. My soul remained in a heavenly elysium. 1 think what I felt each minute, during the continuance of the whole time, was worth more than all the outward comfort and pleasure which I had enjoyed in my whole life put together. It was a pure delight which fed and satisfied my soul. It was a sweetness which my soul was lost in.

In the house of God, so conscious was I of the joyful presence of the Holy Spirit, that I could scarcely refrain from leaping with transports of joy. My soul was filled and overwhelmed with light, and love, and joy in the Holy Ghost, and seemed just ready to go away from the body. I had, in the meantime, an overwhelming sense of the glory of God as the GREAT ETERNAL ALL, and of the happiness of having my own will entirely subdued to his will. This exaltation of soul subsided into a heavenly calm, and a rest of soul in God, which was even sweeter than what preceded it. My mind remained so much in a similar frame for more than a week, that I could never think of it without an inexpressible sweetness in my soul."

Such was the glorious experience of this devoted Presbyterian lady, as given by herself a hundred years ago.

Young reader! This was not fancy but fact. To have the Holy Spirit bear witness with our spirits that we are the children of God is the privilege of every christian, though not it may be to the same extent. This ecstatic enjoyment cometh not without earnest desire. But seek and ye shall find. (Read Luke xi. to 13th verse.)

DAMASCUS IN 1861.

ABOUT a year ago this very ancient city, perhaps the most ancient in the world, was the scene of a dreadful outbreak by a fanatical native sect against christians and strangers. A Traveller says:Having lately returned from Damascus, I give you the following account of the present aspect of the city. Entering, as most travellers do, by the western gate, we passed first through the Mussulman quarter of the city, where the bazaars were thronged by natives of every Eastern nation under heaven. Arriving as we did from Palestine, and not having passed through a single populous city, (with the exception of Nablous-the ancient Sychar,) we were the more struck with the bustle and confusion of the bazaars, but we little thought we were in the close proximity of a desert within the very walls of the city. Proceeding down the street which was called "Straight," we turned into Demetri's hotel, which stands at the extremity of the christian quarter. Issuing forth again into the same street, we continued a short distance on our way till we were stopped by a Turkish sentinel, stationed to prevent any one passing into the christian quarter. We, however, managed

to get by him, and then a scene met our eyes which it will be impossible ever to forget.

As far as the eye could reach it fell upon a heap of blackened ruins. We walked for a mile with charred skeletons of houses on either side of us; then, turning into side-streets, the same utter ruin met our gaze. We saw not a soul except here and there a lazy Arab driving his donkey before him laden with the remains of the fallen houses. This is what the Turks call rebuilding the quarter! Throughout the length and breadth of what but a year ago was far the handsomest part of the city, not one single house is now standing. Greek, Latin, Syrian churches and convents, European Consulates, &c., were mingled in one common destruction. There were still remaining many traces of the former magnificence of the houses. Broken marble columns, and bits of tesselated pavement, were thickly scattered about the courtyards, and the walls in many places were richly inlaid with mother-of-pearl and gold. The style of house at Damascus is not unlike that of those at Pompeii. In the centre is an open courtyard, with marble floor and fountain in the middle. All the chambers open on to this; and at one end, and facing the entrance, is usually the state divan-in a recess in the wall-where visitors are received. If the house is large, a narrow passage will lead you into a similar courtyard. The walls are usually ornamented with orange, blue, and white stripes. The principal trade of the city was carried on by the christians, and so they naturally amassed the greatest wealth. Such was the state of their houses: but what is it now? Nothing but the half-burnt shell remains; and the only life moving in them is here and there a solitary crow, or a dog stealing away with a bit of refuse. Many bodies lie still buried under the ruins. Altogether the aspect of the place reminded us strangely of Pompeii. There were the same narrow streets, the same noiseless courtyards, the same stillness that might be felt, the same evidence that the inhabitants had been surprised in the midst of their daily avocations. And where are the inhabitants? Out of some twenty thousand, between three and four thousand were massacred in cold blood; the rest fled to the mountains, only the more fortunate reaching the sea-coast. Some found protection in a Mussulman quarter of Damascus, where, owing to the energy of the Governor, no christians were molested. None have returned to their homes, and no wonder! though nearly a year has elapsed since the

massacres.