life in these scenes in which it first began. Is there mercy yet for me?" "What does the scripture say, sir," she replied, " Turn unto the Lord, and he will have mercy, and to our God, and he will abundantly pardon."" Isaiah lv. 7.

Though thirty years are past since that day, yet the remainder of my story is soon told. My house was built within six months of that period, and there being settled with one man, and one maid servant, I daily visited my beloved summer house, and resumed my character of the hermit, never emerging from my solitude, excepting when I went to visit my brother and his wife, or to visit the poor and afflicted.

It was some years, however, before I recovered my peace of mind, which I never indeed succeeded in doing, until I had been brought by faith to the conviction, that the blood of Christ is effectual in cleansing all sin, and mine in particular; and then it was, when arrived at this happy conviction, that I again began to take real delight in all my former pursuits, and when my eyes began to fail me, had as much pleasure in hearing the younger Sally read the Bible to me, as ever my poor nurse could have had in hearing me. And if I have taken an interest in instructing this little girl, and seeing her well established in life, it must be remembered that she is the child of my foster sister; and when I first saw her, was the very image of what her mother was when she sat with me on the steps of the beloved summer house. Thus my course is about to terminate, I trust, where it commenced, and if I am become a little child again, I am ready to give all the glory to God, who, through the effectual workings of the Holy Spirit, bestowed upon me a repentance not to be repented of, and has given me a hope full of life and immortality.

M. M. S.

ANCIENT ARCHITECTURE,

Origin, City of Chanoch, Huts, Conic Buildings, Cubical Dwellings, Progress among Egyptians, Grecians, and Romans.

For the origin of the science of architecture, we must go back as far as the time of Cain, who, after the curse pronounced upon him, went out from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt in the Land of Nod, on the east of Eden, and built a city which he called Enoch, (or Heb. Chanoch,) after the name of his son. Gen. iv. 17.

9

The first habitations of men, according to some writers, were mere huts, constructed of twigs or branches of trees, somewhat like the wigwams of the American Indians. Opinions on this point are very various. Others imagine that the hollow places, or caves in mountains or rocks, suggested the first idea of a dwelling that could protect the resident from the inconveniences of heat and cold, and rain.

Vitruvius, a celebrated architect, who wrote a treatise on the science, which he dedicated to the Emperor Augustus, has most ingeniously delineated the rise and progress of architecture. His words are these:

“Anciently men lived in woods, and inhabited caves; but in time, taking example, perhaps, from birds, who, with great industry build their nests, they made themselves huts, which at first, very probably, were of a conic figure. (like a sugar loaf,) because that is a figure of the simplest structure; and, like the birds, whom they imitated, composed them of branches of trees, spreading them wide at the bottom, and joining them in a point at the top, covering the whole with reeds, leaves, and clay, to screen them from tempests and rain.

"But finding the conic figure inconvenient on account of its inclined sides, they changed both the form and construction of their huts, giving them a cubical figure and building them in the following manner: Having marked out the space to be occupied by the hut, they fixed in the ground several upright trunks of trees, to form the sides, filling the intervals between them with branches closely interwoven and covered with clay. The sides being thus completed, four large beams were placed on the upright trunks, which being well joined at the angles, kept the sides firm, and likewise served to support the covering or roof of the building, composed of many joists, (or smaller beams,) on which were laid several beds of reed, leaves, and clay.

‘Insensibly, mankind improved in the art of building, and invented methods to make their huts lasting and handsome, as well as convenient. They took off the bark and other unevennesses, from the trunks of trees that formed the sides; raised them, probably, above the dirt and humidity, on stones, and covered each of them with a flat stone or slate, to keep off the rain. The spaces

between the ends of the joists were closed with clay, wax, or some other substance; and the ends of the joists covered with thin boards cut in the manner of triglyphs. The position of the roof was likewise altered; for being, on account of its flatness, unfit to throw off the rains that fell in great abundance during the winter season, they raised it in the middle, giving it the form of a gable roof, by placing rafters on the joists, to support the earth and other materials that composed the covering.

"From this simple construction, the orders of architecture took their rise. For, when buildings of wood were set aside, and men began to erect solid and stately edifices of stone, they imitated the parts which necessity had introduced into the primitive huts; insomuch, that the upright trees, with the stones at each end of them, were the origin of columns, bases and capitals; and the beams, joists, rafters, and strata of materials that formed the covering, gave birth to architraves, frizes, triglyphs, and cornices; with the corona, the mutules, the modillions, and the dentils.

"The first buildings were in all likelihood rough and uncouth, as the men of these times had neither experience nor tools; but, when by long experience and reasoning upon it, the artists had established certain rules, had invented many instruments, and by great practice, had acquired a facility in executing their ideas, they made quick advances towards perfection, and at length discovered certain manners of building, which succeeding ages have regarded with the highest veneration."

Asia may be considered as the cradle of architecture, and that part of the world where it was carried to a state of perfection. From hence it spread into different parts; Babylon and Nineveh are a proof of its progress in that quarter of the globe. The Egyptians applied themselves to it with great eagerness and assiduity, of which their Pyramids, the Lake Maris, the Labyrinth, the Obelisks, and numerous temples are evidences.

From Egypt it seems to have passed into Greece, where it was formed into a science, based upon certain rules and models, and distinguished by its three principal Orders, the Doric, the Ionian, and the Corinthian, to which the Romans afterwards added the Tuscan and the Composite.

To the strength and magnificence of the Egyptian style of archi tecture, the Greeks united grace, regularity, and beauty. All the

improvements made by them were afterwards possessed by the Romans, who having subdued the Greeks, carried the spoils of their cities to Rome, and from that time became the patrons of architecture, which thenceforward advanced with great rapidity and success. R. C.

The lords, and the commons; but never his own. TRACT.

Ir has lately occurred to me, that some of the topics which are found in the pages of the Youths' Magazine, would admit of greater variety, and also convey a greater force of illustration, if two subjects, the opposites of each other, were placed before the reader by way of contrast, such as gratitude and ingratitude, obedience and disobedience to parents, &c. &c. The Youths' Magazine presents a due portion of these subjects in separate and distinct essays; but I shall at least make an attempt to place Contentment and Discontent in juxtaposition; and try if I cannot thereby extract from them something even more valuable than I could discover by viewing them apart. In following up this thought, I shall first subjoin a definition of both terms from Mr. Buck's Theological Dictionary. "CONTENTMENT is a disposition of mind in which our desires are confined to what we enjoy, without murmuring at our lot, or wishing ardently for more. Contentment arises not from a man's outward condition, but from his inward disposition, and is the genuine offspring of humility, attended with a fixed habitual sense of God's particular providence, the recollection of past mercies, and a just estimate of the true nature of all earthly things. DISCONTENT, uneasiness at our present state. Man never appears in a worse light than when he gives way to this disposition. It is at once the strongest proof of his pride, ignorance, and rebellion against God."

These definitions are consistent with both reason and scripture, and according to this rule, C. generally contemplates the bright side of things, while D. looks only to the dark side of his object.

C. views the future with hope, D. with fear and distrust, often with despair. The human mind may in this respect be compared to the stomach; in C. it is healthy, and will digest almost any thing-in D. it is in a state of morbid disease, and rejects the most wholesome aliment. C. not only submits to, but acquiesces in, the dispensations of Divine Providence towards him; but D. murmurs and repines, and if he does submit, it is the submission of a child to the rod, or of a criminal to the executioner. The mind of C. resembles a river in a calm and tranquil state; D. reminds one of the ocean in a tempest. C. is like a well-disciplined army; D. like an army in a state of mutiny. C. may be likened to a gentle refreshing breeze, diffusing health and comfort in every direction; D. is like the Simoom, a hot wind, which is highly pestilential. C. resembles a person who in winter enjoys even by anticipation the beauties of spring, while D. in the height of summer, knits his brow, and peevishly exclaims, "Oh! but what will it be in winter?" C. sings in a cottage; D. is miserable in a mansion. C. is satisfied with little; D. is dissatisfied with much. C. is a beautiful flower; D. a noisome weed. C. is a delicious fruit; D. a poisonous berry. C. suffers well, and carries his load with ease; D. feels his as if it were full of spikes penetrating his body. C. flourishes best in heaven; D. deprived heaven of many of its inhabitants. C. says, "the will of the Lord be done;" D. exclaims, "better to reign in hell than serve in heaven." C. in a time of poverty opens heaven by prayer, and brings down supplies; D. in the midst of affluence repines that he has no more. In a time of difficulty D. cries out, "there is a lion in the way;" while C. with holy courage triumphs in singing

Faith, mighty faith, the promise sees,

And looks to that alone;

Laughs at impossibilities,

And cries, It shall be done."

Wesley.

It may here be observed, that D. is sometimes found in real christians, and that C. is not confined to any particular age, sex, or condition in life; but is sometimes to be found in the palace or the mansion, though perhaps more frequently in the cottage. Yet I fear there are many cottages, as well as other dwellings, in which C. is not always an inmate. I would further remark, that reul contentment can only be founded on christian principles. Every