stroke for this; and surely I should have done if I had been left to myself. But it was not so. One Lord's day he was appointed to preach at my own native place, and my wife went to hear the dear old man; and when I came home on the Sunday evening I said, "Well, my dear, how did you get on with friend Bugg?" "O!" she said, "he won't be a trouble to anybody long; for I believe his time here is short; for he looked like a dying man as he stood in the pulpit." At this news all my hard thoughts and bitter feelings towards him fled, and I felt such a love spring up in my soul to him, as a servant of God, that I could have done anything for him. We are commanded to not love in word only, but in deed; and I am well persuaded that love in the heart will bring that man or woman to love God and his people, and yield sweet obedience to the commands of God in his word. "In keeping his commands there is great reward;" not for, but in keeping them.

Well, a thought came into my mind that I might be of some service to the dear old man in this way, as I knew that he was engaged most of his time in Kent. I thought I would take a Sunday or two for him and let him stop at home, and the first opportunity I had, which was in not more than about a fortnight, I sent word by one of the friends; and when this friend told him my proposition, he was completely beaten. The dear old man said, “Thank him, I will let him know as soon as I return from Kent." He was engaged for Staplehurst the next Lord's day. So you will see the lot was cast into the lap and the whole disposal thereof was of the Lord. When the dear old man had tried to preach in the morning, for he had the arrow of death sticking in him at the time, he said to the senior deacon, "I have a friend in Essex, a much younger man than I am; he will come and supply my place for you the two Sundays I am engaged here, as I am so poorly;" and they were quite willing that it should be so, seeing that his work was nearly done; for so it was. The Lord's day that he was appointed to preach at Heybridge to his old friends, he was dying, and in a few days his ransomed soul left its clay tenement for that bright mansion which Love had ordained for him.

The time came for me to pay a visit to the friends at Staplehurst; and when I arrived I found myself in a strange place, and not a person I knew. It is true I had the address where to go, and at last I found it, and was kindly received by the mistress of the house. I had some tea, and soon went to bed; and from the bottom of my heart I wished I had never set foot in the place. But so it was, and could not be altered. The morning came and I was miserable and wretched, and was afraid I had done wrong in coming. And while pacing up and down the garden, the

mistress of the house came out to me and said, "The deacon is coming to see you," and with that she left me. I followed and I had some strange thoughts before I reached the deacon. When we met we greeted each other by name, and he bade me God speed in the name of the Lord, and left me.

My first text, if I mistake not, was out of Ps. cxlv. 11; and I do believe the Holy Ghost accompanied it with divine power into the hearts of some, which brought a love to the speaker; and a real union was formed that evening in sweet communion with my friend the senior deacon.

I supplied for them my two Lord's days, and was asked to give them as many days as I could the next year; and I did so. And as soon as this was done, my prayer ceased for the Lord to open a way for my leaving my native place; and some people might be led to ask if I had any intimation from God that that would be my future sphere of labour.

At that time I had no desire of settling over the people at Staplehurst, I believe it was about the third time of my coming to Staplehurst that, on the Monday morning at my lodgings, I awoke about 5 o'clock; and as soon as my eyes were open, such a powerful feeling sense of the love, mercy, and goodness of God in Christ Jesus dropped into my soul that I wept and praised his precious and blessed name, that ever he should in so unexpected a time and way come to me, such a vile, sinful, ill, and hell-deserving wretch as I. O how grace humbles a poor sinner into the dust of self-abasement and self-loathing! O how I hated even the garments spotted by the flesh, and how the love of God in a poor sinner's heart softens and crumbles him, and draws out the soul in love to Jesus Christ! I truly thought my soul would have burst the bonds of the old tabernacle, and flown into the everlasting embrace of my precious Lord Jesus. Truly, he is precious to those who believe; and I did believe with all my heart that he died for me, that his blood had atoned for all my sins, and that he had wrought out a righteousness to cover my poor naked soul. Truly, the language of the poet suited me well: "And lest the shadow of a spot Should on my soul be found,

He took the robe the Saviour wrought,
And cast it all around."

(To be concluded in our next )

He is wise enough who hath been taught the Gospel; and he is altogether out of his senses who seeks saving knowledge anywhere else; for here are all treasures.-Davenant.

It is safer to be humble with one talent than proud with ten talents; yea, better to be a humble worm than a proud angel. (Prov. xvi. 19; xxix. 23; Jas. iv. 6.)-Flavel.

PALESTINE EXPLORATION.

WE have several times referred to discoveries made by the explorers of Palestine, all tending to confirm the truth of, at any rate, the historical part of the Bible. In the early part of this year a discovery was made of a tomb which seems to correspond with the sepulchre in the garden more than does the one now shown in Jerusalem. A photograph was taken of this, and an engraving of it is given in the Quarterly Statement of the Explorers, published last July by the Committee from their office, 1, Adam Street, Adelphi, London. We have been favoured with a cast of it.

Newly discovered Tomb, 200 yards west of Jeremiah's Grotto.-View from East.

The following is the account given by Lieut. Conder, Royal Engineers:

"I find that the identification of the hill above Jeremiah's Grotto with the probable site of Calvary, which depends mainly on the fact that, according to Jewish tradition, this was the ancient place of public execution, has found favour with a large number of intelligent readers. I have already explained that

we are indebted to Dr. Chaplin for discovering the tradition; but there are several facts in connection with this most interesting question which I have only recently ascertained.

"The modern Arab name of the place is el Heidhemûych ('torn down'), but this is a corruption of the earlier Adhemayeh as given by Mejr ed Dîn, and there seems no doubt that it is derived from the tomb of a son of the famous Edhem, a historical character. The Sheikh of the Jerusalem Haram gave me this explanation, which is confirmed by Dr. Chaplin. It appears also from Mejr ed Din, that the neighbourhood immediately east was called es Sahira, and was an ill-omened place connected in the imagination of Moslems with death and judgment (like the Kedron Valley beyond it). Possibly in this we may have some trace of the ill-omened site of the ancient place of execution.

"Another point concerning this hillock has been noticed by recent visitors, who have seen in its outline a resemblance to a skull. This was mentioned to me by the Rev. A. Henderson, but I could not then remember the circumstance. On walking from the north-east corner of Jerusalem towards the rock I perceived, however, what was meant. The rounded summit and the two hollow cave entrances beneath do, indeed, give some resemblance to a skull, as may be seen in a photograph taken from this point of view by Lieutenant Mantell, which I enclose. It is the skull of an animal rather than of a human being, and I should not like to base an argument on so slight a resemblance. It is, however, of interest to note the fact, as many persons consider that Golgotha was a name derived from the form of the ground, rather than from the use of the site as a place of burial or of execution.

"It is more important to notice that the site of Jeremiah's Grotto is peculiarly fitted for a place of execution in consequence of its commanding position. From the summit the eye roams above the city walls over the greater part of Jerusalem, while on the west the ground rises beyond the intervening valley like a theatre. There is hardly another spot near Jerusalem so fitted to be the central point for any public spectacle."

The explorers purpose thoroughly exploring the kingdom of Bashan; and we anticipate great results. The expense of the work is very great, all religious denominations supporting it. If our readers have aught to spare, they cannot do better than support it likewise.

It is a great consolation to a humbled, repentant backslider that God never lost sight of him. He may apparently have been going fast on the road to hell; but he never goes so far as that the Lord's arm is not long enough to reach him, and strong enough to pull him back.

COMFORT IN AFFLICTION.

1, Finsbury Street, Leeds, July 15th, 1881. My dear Friend,-Your kind letter and favour came safely to hand; for which I am thankful to you and friends; also to our good and gracious God.

A precious Christ endears himself to us still. This has been, and is, the greatest trial I have met with in this wilderness; but notwithstanding, there are special mercies. Though I have sunk low in the dust before the Lord, yet I have been raised up again into a confidence in the Lord, that he has a favour towards me. What a change in our feelings when the Lord raises us up into sweet nearness and communion with himself. The love of the Three-One God fills the soul; the redeeming blood of Christ how precious to us; and the blessed witness and renewings of the Holy Ghost charm the soul; so we forget our afflictions for the time; however, a shooting pain from a cancer reminds me again of it, and what is coming. I was told at the infirmary that I had another cancer in my back; this time from a diseased gland, which they could not remove, or cure when operated upon before. I am to see the operating surgeon next Friday; that is, a week to-day; then he will appoint the time to operate upon me. I know many of the Lord's people will have me in their hearts before the Lord, begging of him his protecting care.

They were very kind to me when in the infirmary. I have no dread of being there. I had every comfort that I could expect in a ward where 28 were lying on beds of pain. I dread the operation, and especially losing my senses for a time; yet it must be so, as I feel no pain while the doctors are operating. I do hope to be enabled to lean upon the Lord, trust in him, and cast myself entirely upon him; and if I die, I die as the most vile in my own sight, hanging wholly upon Jesus for eternity. Yours affectionately in Hope of Eternal Life, through Him who is the Resurrection and the Life. H. HERCOCK.

To Mrs. Godwin.

A COLONY OF LEPERS.

Leprosy not only prevails in various parts of Asia, but it has been introduced into America, and has securely established itself there. In 1680 it was brought to the West Indies by negro slaves, and was conveyed thence to Louisiana. In 1778 the disease was so prevalent amongst the blacks that a hospital for lepers had to be established in New Orleans. At the present time the majority of lepers in that city are whites, of French, German, and Russian extraction. The disease is hereditary; certain families are known to be infected by it and are shunned by every one. The mother of one of these families, when the disease showed itself, was deserted by her husband and children, but nursed until death by a young girl who is now a victim to it. The Creole inhabitants of the outlying districts live in low huts surrounded by wet rice fields, are separated from the rest of the world, and have intermarried for generations. So impregnated with disease is this region that some members of an exploring party were recently struck down with violent hemorrhages and fever on reaching it. It is, in fact,