THE VOICE OF DIVINE COMPASSION.

OH! sweet is the breeze of the morn on the mountain,
That sighs o'er its bosom and murmurs away;

And bright is the beam that springs up from day's fountain,
And breaks o'er the east in its golden array!

And lovely the rill, which incessantly flowing,

Winds, murmuring gently, its course thro' the plain;
And welcome the beacon which, faithfully glowing,
Cheers the heart of the mariner tost on the main;

But sweeter, my God, is thy voice of compassion,
Which, soft as the summer's dew, falls on the mind;
Which whispers the tidings of life and salvation,
And casts the dark shadows of sorrow behind!

Oh yes! I have found it, when kindly and cheering,
It hushed the hoarse thunders of justice to rest;
It was heard when the angel of mercy appearing,
Pour'd the balm of relief o'er the penitent's breast!
Oh! still may I hear it, while crossing life's ocean,
Or borne on the billow, or breath'd in the gale;
Enkindling the flame of expiring devotion,

And uttering the promise that never shall fail!

'Tis the still voice of Him who expir'd on the mountain,
And breath'd out for sinners his last dying groan;
His voice, who on Calvary open'd the fountain

Of water to cleanse, and of blood to atone.

That voice, O believer! shall cheer and protect thee,
When the cold chill of death thy frail bosom invades;
At its sound shall the Day-star arise to direct thee,
And gild, with refulgence, the valley of shades.

THE SAVIOUR IN HEAVEN.

YES, I see Him,-but not as he hung

On his cross, 'twixt the earth and the sky;
When the deep glooms of midnight were flung
O'er the city that doom'd him to die.

I behold Him,-but not as he lay,

Close immur'd in the house of the dead,
While the grave triumph'd over her prey,

And the earth wept her dews round his head.

It is Jesus!-but where are the thorns

That not long since environed his brow?

Far other the robe that adorns,

And the crown that encircles him now!

Once, inferior to angels, he trod

For a while this dark valley of tears:
Now, acknowledg'd their Lord and their God,
Crown'd with glory and honour appears.

There high above all shines his seat,
And his sceptre the universe sways;
Not a seraph, but bows at his feet-
Not a harp but is tun'd to his praise.

แ

SIR,

To the Editor of the Methodist New Connexion Magazine.

Permit me to hand you the accompanying observations in reply to the query of Aliquis," inserted in the January number of the Methodist New Connexion Magazine. Yours most respectfully,

J. B.

Rochdale, January 11th, 1845. "Ought an unconverted person to be allowed to labour as a Teacher in a Sabbath-school ?"

I am decidedly of opinion that no person should be excluded from Sabbath-school Teaching on the ground of his being unconverted, and beg to submit the following remarks in support of that opinion:

Although the whole of the Teachers engaged in Sabbath-schools are not converted persons, it cannot be denied that the generality of them are persons of good morals, whose characters will bear the strictest investigation, and who would not be guilty of the least impropriety whilst engaged in their work, being well aware that such conduct would be a breach of the Rules prescribed for the government of the school. The authorities of the school are careful in observing that the conduct of the Teachers is faultless, or instant expulsion would be the lot of those, guilty of the slightest misbehaviour. Such being the case, I cannot see that any danger is to be apprehended from employing unconverted persons. in Sunday-schools, but consider that to hinder them from thus doing good would be wrong, and productive of evil consequences; and perhaps I cannot exemplify the latter assertion better than by giving the following illustration: In the Methodist New Connexion Sabbath-school in Rochdale, there are about forty Teachers employed, and if those among them who are supposed to be unconverted were to be expelled, it is to be feared that the school would be utterly destroyed.

All Teachers endeavour, to the utmost of their ability, to instruct the scholars entrusted to their care in the things pertaining to their eternal interests, by explaining to them the Word of God, and conveying to their capacities the meaning of what they read; and although unconverted persons cannot discharge these duties in so able a manner as those who are really and in truth Christians, and have not as much care and solicitude for the salvation of their scholars' souls, are we to reject the services of those who implant in their tender minds the first seeds of religious truth, because of their being unconverted? Undoubtedly not; for we are told by Dr. Young, that—

"Who does the best his circumstance allows,

Does well, acts nobly; angels could no more."

Night Thoughts.-Night 2.

It is presumed, that unconverted Teachers do not teach that which is not in accordance with God's holy word, nor is the instruction they impart to their scholars opposed to God's will. The scholars themselves receive instruction from them as readily as other scholars do whose teachers are converted; and though the scholars of the former may not improve so rapidly as those of the latter, still their teachers, by their unremitting assiduity, evince a desire to be instrumental in promoting the welfare of the rising generation, or they would not continue to attend

a place where religious instruction is administered, but would soon grow weary of an employment in which they did not feel at ease.

Attending Sabbath-schools may be considered as one of the first steps in the Christian career; and doubtless many unconverted persons engaged in Sabbath-schools, would not have been brought under the sound of the gospel, if not thus employed, but would have been left to pursue the way of wickedness; and there are many converted teachers who have cause to bless the day on which they were admitted into the Sabbath-school.

As the place they attend is intimately, and in fact inseparably, connected with the means of grace, it is not unlikely that sooner or later they may be led to embrace that which they have taught, and so become savingly converted to God. Attending a Sabbath-school leads them to attend the ordinances of God's house, and it may please Him to strike conviction to their hearts whilst there, and so awaken them to a sense of their condition, that they may rest not until they obtain the salvation of their immortal souls. They will not long be suffered to attend the school without being requested to become members of the church, and having been so admitted, be led to know and experience the blessedness and reality of the Christian religion.

I cannot discover what arguments can be adduced for the non-employment of unconverted Teachers, solely on the ground of their being so; for whilst engaged in their labour of love, are they not promoting the glory of God? and he may be pleased to bless the seed sown by them, and make it produce abundant fruit to his honour. It matters not how humble the instrument may be, so that the instruction given be of a religious nature, and has a tendency to deter youth from committing evil, and of turning them into the narrow path that leads to heavenly bliss.

If none but converted persons were allowed to be Sabbath-school Teachers, in what manner would the important conclusion of their being so, previously to their admission as such, be arrived at? I imagine that the production of tickets of membership would be deemed insufficient, and as to man (whose opinion is often erroneous) conceiving them to be so, it would not be a sufficient proof.

To conclude: I consider it to be the duty of those Teachers who have been born again of the Spirit, to endeavour, by serious conversation with their fellow-helpers who are unregenerate, to bring them within the bonds of the covenant, and thus become participators in the joys they themselves possess; and they ought also, by constant applications to the throne of grace, to importune God to soften their hearts, and to lead them to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and be saved.

IRISH ROUND TOWERS.

BY THE REV. W. BAGGALY,

OF BELFAST.

IRELAND is famous for its antiquities. A traveller can scarcely move in any direction without his attention being arrested by extraordinary monuments of olden times. Ancient castles-ruins of churches-Druid's altars-conic hills, called "Danes' mounts," 99 66 raths," or "old forts," absolutely abound on every hand. Time has robbed many of them of their

original distinctiveness, but others stand out in bold relief, as if competing with each other in bearing a silent but faithful testimony to the ingenuity, piety, or warlike skill of former centuries.

To most persons such things are deeply interesting; and lovers of antiquity seldom give them attention without reaping a rich reward. But of all those ancient monuments which render the Emerald Isle so attractive from the Giant's Causeway, to the Cove of Cork, perhaps nothing has excited so much attention as its ROUND TOWERS. These singular buildings, which are found in every part of the country, have unquestionably stood for ages, and many of them are likely to endure for ages yet to come. A recent traveller has justly remarked, "These Round Towers, as they are called, are the most interesting antiquities to be found in Ireland." They are all built of stone, and when seen from a distance seem like immense chimneys, or lofty columns, being very nearly an equal thickness from the base to the summit. The generality of them are about one hundred feet high; some are not quite that height, whilst others have an altitude of one hundred and twenty feet. They always stand alone. Two of them are never found together. Hence one is lifting up its solitary head on a lonely island; perhaps another stands on the bank of a river; a third on a rich and fertile plain, and a fourth in a secluded valley.

I remember having noticed several of them when in the south of Ireland last summer. One may be seen at Clondalkin, about four miles from Dublin, on the road to Nass; a second stands at Swords, about seven miles from the metropolis; another is on the island of Devenish, Lough Erne, near Enniskillen. A remarkable one stands at Monasterboice, between Drogheda and Dunloor, which I passed a short time ago. It is said, that "the most interesting one, both to the antiquarian, and the lover of mountain scenery, is at the seven churches of Glendclough," county Wicklow, and within a day's drive of Dublin. But the most perfect Round Tower which I have seen is at Antrim, thirteen miles north of Belfast.

These singular remains of ancient times have actually puzzled the most learned men in the world; and after ages spent in study and close investigation, it would perhaps be difficult to determine either the exact time of their erection, or the precise object for which they were built. The "Dublin Penny Journal," to which we are much indebted for our information, says, "Quires of paper as tall as a Tower, have been covered over with as much ink as might form a Liffey, in accounting for their origin and use. They have been assigned to the obscene rites of Paganism-to the mystic arcana of Druidism-said to be the temples of the fire worshippers-standings of the pillar worshippers-Christian belfries -military towers of the Danish invaders-defensive retreats for the native clergy, from the sudden inroads of the ruthless Norman."

The Round Towers of Ireland bear a striking resemblance to each other; and if not all built about the same time, they are no doubt productions of the same race of people. A description of one or two of these buildings will, therefore, be sufficient to give the reader a correct idea of all the rest. For this purpose we select Antrim and Trummery, near Moira; the former of which stands erect amid a group of trees a short distance north of the town; but the latter has recently been razed to its foundations-a circumstance much to be regretted, even though its fall should supply some little additional information respecting these venerable monuments.

I 2

The Antrim "Round Tower is ninety-five feet in height, and at one yard from the ground is fifty-three feet in circumference, having an external diameter of between fifteen and sixteen feet. It is divided into three stories, with holes in the walls to support lofts, and loop-holes for the admission of air and light. Those near the top correspond with the four cardinal points, and near them a beam of oak extends across the tower. A little above these the tower tapers in the form of a sugar loaf, and was formerly surmounted by a conical covering of granite, resembling in shape a cap or bonnet. Being shattered, as it is supposed, by lightning, in 1822, it was taken down, and replaced by a covering of freestone. At the base are two rows of stones projecting about eight inches, and nine feet above these is the door, fronting the north. It is four feet three inches in height by two feet wide. The wall at the sill is two feet nine inches in thickness. The outside lintel of the door consists of one large stone, as does that inside; and between these is a beam of oak across the door, which must have been placed there at the erection of the tower, as it appears impossible to have been fitted there since. On a large stone over the outside lintel, is a cross in bas relief."

Dr. Clarke, in recording the result of a personal examination, says, "This tower seems to me most evidently never to have been raised by any scaffolding on the outside, but to have been built from the inside, overhand, as is the custom with bricklayers in many parts of Lancashire to the present day. The protuberances and inequalities of the wall sufficiently prove that all the courses of its rough tag-stone were laid on from within. For about one-third of its height it appears to be built of an equal thickness or diameter, but afterwards it tapers gradually, though very little; the top under the pyramidal finishing, being a little less in diameter than its base."

The Round Tower at Trummery "stood at the east gable of an old church, and rose in graceful proportions to the height of sixty-five feet. It was tastefully crowned with a cupola, curiously raised on a frame of basket-work, the rim of which had fitted the circumference; the diameter being nearly five feet. Over the frame was spread a deep covering of mortar, in which were closely laid thin flags of limestone, regularly decreasing in breadth from the wall up to the centre, forming a light and firm arch. Over this was a covering of mortar, well paved with coarse limestone gravel; lastly, a coat of strong cement completed the crown. There were two great entrances into the tower—the first, a low, narrow, strong archway of red freestone, opening on the south, through which you first entered the church; at the east gable, a door led to the apartment alluded to, and from thence into the tower. The second entrance or doorway was right over the archway, about five feet high by three wide, handsomely cased with yellow and red freestone, at the height of six feet from the floor. To the right of the arch as you entered, several stones or steps connected with the wall inside led up to the door. A few feet from the ground were two loopholes, one due east, the other northwest, well cased with freestone. About three feet under the crown were two square holes, east and west, and two others facing north and south. Over two of these, jutted a flag of freestone, for the purpose of preventing the rain that fell on the crown trickling down and injuring the ends of an oak beam that crossed the tower. About the middle of the tower, inside, were some square holes, but from their scattered situation they could not have served the purpose of joists. The outer work of the