LESSING'S PICTURE OF HUSS.

THE Trial of John Huss before the Council of Constance, by Lessing, is one of the few things I have seen in painting which have had power deeply to affect me. I have it not in my heart to criticise it as a mere piece of colouring and finish; though in these respects I thought it had great merits. But the picture had the power, which all high art must have, of rebuking and silencing these minor inquiries in the solemnity of its moral. I believe the highest painter often to be the subject of a sort of inspiration, by which his works have a vitality of suggestion, so that they sometimes bring to the beholder even more than he himself conceived when he created them. In this picture, the idea that most impressed me was, the representation of that more refined and subtle torture of martyrdom which consists in the incertitude and weakness of an individual against whom is arrayed the whole weight of the religious community. If, against the martyr, only the worldly and dissolute stood arrayed, he could bear it; but when the Church, claiming to be the visible representative of Christ, casts him out,-when multitudes of pious and holy souls, as yet unenlightened in their piety, look on him with horror as an infidel and blasphemer,-then comes the very wrench of the rack. As long as the body is strong, and the mind clear, a consciousness of right may sustain even this; but there come weakened hours, when, worn by prison and rack, the soul asks itself, "Can it be that all the religion and respectability of the world is wrong, and I alone right?" Such an agony Luther expressed in that almost superhuman meditation, written the night before the Diet at Worms. Such an agony, the historian tells us, John Huss passed through the night before his execution.

Now for the picture. The painter has arrayed, with consummate ability, in the foreground, a representation of the religious respectability of the age: Italian Cardinals,* in their scarlet robes, their keen intellectual, thoughtful faces shadowed by their broad hats; men whom it were no play to meet in an argument; there are

"Pious and holy souls!"

grey-beaded, venerable * Priests and Bishops with their seal-rings of office; all that expressed the stateliness and grandeur of what Huss had been educated to consider the true Church. In the midst of them stands Huss, habited in a simple dark robe his sharpened features, and the yellow corpse-like pallor of his face, tell of prison and of suffering. He is defending himself; and there is a trembling earnestness in the manner with which his hand grasps the Bible. With a passionate agony he seems to say, "Am I not right? does not this word say it? and is it not the word of God ?"

So have I read the moral of this noble picture; and in it I felt that I had seen an example of that true mission of art which will manifest itself more and more in this world as Christ's kingdom comes,— art which is not a mere jugglery of colours, a gymnastic display of effects, but a solemn, inspiring poetry, teaching us to live and die for that which is noblest and truest.-Mrs. Stowe.

CHRISTIAN SOLDIERS.

Ar a meeting held at Manchester, in aid of the Religious Tract Society, the Rev. P. J. Saffery, the Secretary, related the following interesting circumstance:-A Christian officer who had been out reconnoitering a camp late in the evening, thought he heard singing in a ravine he was passing. He dismounted, tied his horse to a bush, and, creeping slowly and gently down, saw a number of soldiers standing at the bottom, singing hymn which had been found at the close of one of this Society's Tracts. When the singing was over, the soldier who had given out the hymn read the Tract aloud to his comrades; and, after he had finished reading, another soldier knelt down with the rest of his comrades, and poured out his heart to God in fervent prayer, not only for those present, but for every soldier in the camp, for their country and their Queen, their kindred and friends: but what touched him most deeply was, that, with faltering voice, and evidently with deep emotion, he poured out his heart in prayer to God for the enemies they were about to engage.

• "Venerable" in the picture.

"THE NEARER THE CHURCH,

THE FARTHER FROM GOD." "THE nearer the church, the farther from God." This is an awful truth, the verification of which, we fear, has been frequently witnessed. There are many who live near the house of God, who seldom or never attend its services; while of them that do attend, we frequently find that they who live nearest, are generally the latest at the house of prayer.

But we have been more particularly struck, recently, with the former part of the observation, in the case of some who have lived near the house of God, and have lived to old age, and not only were ungodly during life, but, when death came, seemed to be as ignorant of the way of salvation, as if they had lived in a heathen land. And all efforts to arouse them to religious considerations on the bed of death, go to demonstrate that the time of affliction is by no means that for arousing them to proper attention to the concerns of salvation.

The writer visited one of this kind, who was so ill as to be without hope of recovery, and, what was worse, appeared regardless of the state of his soul. For the person was a backslider; or, rather, had never truly gone forward in the way of life, for he declared that, though in years past he had been in church-membership, conversion had never taken place.

And many there are of this class, that might with truth confess, with this person, "I never had any religion." They enter into communion with the church, but, not being saved, give the most trouble while there, and are the most easily drawn away. Or, if they remain in outward fellowship, and continue unsaved, how awful is the spectacle when they come to die! Instead of being able to testify that all is well, they find the great work of life is all to be accomplished. O that God may stir us up to care more for our own souls, and make us more anxious for the conversion of those around us!

It is a thought that ought very much to affect us, that we pass by so many, when we walk from our own house to the

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can we not do much? and are we doing all that we might be able to accomplish?

It would be well if we were to consider all places of worship the centres of districts. And would it not be well to resolve not to let any persons rest who constantly neglect the house of God, but invite them, pray with them, and use all means possible to bring them to God, that they may be saved?

The writer's mind dwells at this moment on a little cottage near one of our places of worship, crowded with a numerous family. The other day we entered, talked, and prayed with one of the members of the family, who was greatly afflicted in his body, and also distressed, much distressed, for salvation; for he felt that his soul was in danger of hell.

Well might he be in distress; for he had lived but a few yards from the house of God, so near that he must even have heard some parts of Divine service, but he constantly neglected the ordinances of religion. He appeared to be dying, and was ready to perish; for though the water of life had been flowing at his door, he had not tasted the life-giving stream; though the bread of life was broken at his threshold, yet he was ready to perish with hunger.

*

The visiter, having done all in his power to instruct him and guide him to the long-neglected Saviour, came away with this question deeply impressed on his mind: "Of the many hundreds of saints and Ministers, who have often passed by this door, how many have warned him of his danger, or invited him to come to Christ?" We fear, but few, if any. Thus are the wicked taken away; but in many cases, we fear, "their blood will be required at our hands."

In calling again at this cottage, he learnt that this person's affliction had passed away, and with it all care about his soul. The man had gone again with his old companions into his former sinful courses, and was as negligent of his soul as ever. And probably people will continue to neglect this soul, until they are

[ If a Wesleyan Minister can visit all the members of his flock, he has achieved much. He needs the assistance of his brethren of the

VOL. I.-Second Series.

E

called to visit him on his deathbed, when it may be too late to help him. May God awaken the church, and so stir up His people, that they may think, feel, pray, and labour more than ever for the good of souls, especially of those who dwell around the house of God. It was once said, "The people round our chapel go to no place of worship, and are among the most wicked of the town." How often, alas! is this the case! They are near the church, but far from God.

CHRISTIAN SYMPATHIZERS. MANY of our readers are doubtless aware of the recent establishment of a Society in England for the purpose of aiding Missionaries in the Turkish dominions in prosecuting their labours on a larger scale, and in stations where the so-called Christian part of the population are waiting to receive the Gospel. The following Resolutions of the American Board of Missions in New-York express, in few words, a feeling which every sincere follower of Christ will joyfully reciprocate, and which, if cherished, will do more than anything else to establish through all nations "the unity of the spirit, and the bond of peace:"

"Resolved, That this Board have heard,

with the liveliest interest, of the association recently organized in Great Britain, in aid of the American Missions in the East: that they regard this action of British Christians as a valuable expression of fraternal confidence and regard, and as a testimony before the world to the true catholicity of Evangelical Missions. Resolved,-That, in accepting the aid and trust, the Board pledge themselves, not only to the faithful use of this transatlantic aid, according to their best discretion, but also to a deeper interest in, and livelier regard for, all the numerous and useful Missions established by the churches of Great Britain; and from this valuable aid the Board anticipate a better and mightier co-operation in all those great Christian enterprises, in which England, Scotland, Ireland, America, and all of every tongue, who love

our Lord Jesus Christ, shall constitute one 'allied army' for the subjugation of the whole world to God."

The Editor of the "Missionary Herald," the organ of the American Board, referring to the discussion which ensued, remarks, that "British Christians would have felt stronger for their conflicts with supersti tion and error, could they have heard the words that were uttered in that brief hour; and, especially, could they have seen the response thereto which beamed from every countenance. The mother and the daughter, as against the enemies of our common Protestant faith, are one."

BANK OF IRELAND, DUBLIN. WHEN the foundation-stone of any great public building is laid, little do the spectators consider to what the building may be applied in future days. When the Parthenon, the great temple to Minerva at Athens, was erected, who thought then that it would become a Mohammedan mosque? then a Greek church ?-and when the writer was there, it was barracks for the Bavarian soldiers. If I might venture to change one word in a well-known verse which describes it, it would convey the thought fully:

"Opinions take their turn:

'Twas Jove's, 'tis Mahomet's; and other creeds Will rise with other years."

Again who that stood in the Coliseum at Rome would have thought that it would become a Romish chapel? as also, in the Pantheon, where the statues of the gods stood, in their places are now seen those of the "saints." Instances might be multiplied; but who can stand in the Bank of Ireland, and hear the tinkling of the gold and silver, the rustling of the bank-notes, the incessant stir of the men of money, and not think on the contrast where in profound silence the audience once listened to the eloquence of legislators, the powerful words of statesmen, planning for the country's weal?

The building itself is thought one of the finest edifices in Europe. It stands on an area of one acre and a half; and was com menced in 1729, but not completed until 1785. Here the Parliament of Ireland sat until the Union of 1800; and soon after that

celebrated event the Parliament House was purchased by the Directors of the Bank of Ireland. The House of Lords is still preserved in its original state, famous for its old tapestry, representing the siege of Derry, and the battle of the Boyne. Here also is a marble statue of George III., by Bacon; and an interesting model of the Bank is shown. There are three fronts to the Bank of Ireland: the principal one, towards College-green, is one hundred and forty-seven feet in extent. The grand portico is of the Ionic order, having the royal arms, over which is the figure of Hibernia supported by Fidelity and Commerce. That part of the building which faces College-street is a beautiful Corinthian portico of six pillars, on which stand the figures of Fortitude, Justice, and Liberty. The western portico is Ionic. Sittingbourne.

W. O. C.

PRIVATE PRAYER.

"PHILOSOPHY," said the good and great Richard Watson, "asks a reason for the offering of prayer, and, waiting for an answer, never prays at all. Religion hears that God will be inquired of by us, thankfully bends the knee, touches the golden sceptre, and bears away the blessing." An apology for prayer is neither needed nor attempted here, as we write for those who admit its adaptation to man's utter dependency, and perhaps who pray themselves. We ask no other reason for calling upon the name of the Lord, than the single command of our great Prophet: "But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly." This is our authority, our argument, for private prayer; sitting, as it does, like a jewel on the bosom of that all-perfect body of divinity, the Sermon on the Mount. Prayer is to be made in the house of God, at the familyaltar, and in the closet. Each of these lays claim to advantages peculiarly its own; and perhaps it would be difficult to determine which would bear away the palm, if subjected to a rigid comparison.

With David, we have "loved the habitation of God's house," and freely confess a high admiration of his enthusiastic love to

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public prayer. We honour the man who can climb to the highest pinnacle of earth, and, having his eye armed with telescopio power by faith, can pierce the heavens, that upper world of glory, and gaze with intelligent and adoring rapture upon the magnitude, order, beauty, and lustre of the works of God's fingers; but we honour him the more because, having had his desire to see God whetted like that of Bacon in Nature's temple, he can then descend its steps, that he may ascend the "hill of the Lord," and "behold the beauty of the Lord" as it shines forth from "between the cherubim.”

As we have already shown, the familyaltar commands our high attachment, associated as it is with our dearest memories.*

The closet, however, possesses its own high and separate claims; which for a moment we consider. There is its hallowed privacy. No eye but One can penetrate the walls of that Bethel; no ear but One can listen to those groans unutterable. The world, the outer world of noise and show, of pleasure, of fashion, of trade, of politics, is all excluded. Here is no warcry, no Parliamentary debate, no trading speculation: all are shut out. Here is no "hurrying strife," nor

"Noisy burst of selfish love,

Which swells the formal song;" but, drawing around her a veil impenetrable to the world, the soul, like Moses with unshod foot, draws near to God, and there, prostrate, pays her profoundest adoration, confesses her most secret sins, pours forth the deepest feelings of a grateful heart in holy incense of thanksgiving; and, having taken the Name which can alone prevail, adds petition to petition, and intercession to intercession, until the heavens are opened, and an answer of peace descends, with a flood of glory, to bless the worshipper. Men do not become giants all at once: ordinarily they must be trained for great and noble action. Go to the Senate; listen to that peerless amongst the Peers. How his eloquence fixes all eyes, fastens all ears; and, like an overwhelming torrent, carries conviction with him. Whence hath this man this power? Doubtless he is highly gifted

*"Christian Miscellany" for 1854, p. 324, "Neglected Things."