Confucius. At the spring and autumnal sacrifices offered to him, it is calculated that there are immolated on the two occasions annually, six bullocks, twenty-seven thousand pigs, five thousand eight hundred sheep, two thousand eight hundred deer, and twenty-seven thousand rabbits. Thus there are annually sacrificed to Confucius in China, sixty-two thousand six hundred and SIX victims; and it is also stated that there are offered, at the same time twenty-seven thousand and six hundred pieces of silk. What becomes of these does not appear. We here see even the learned, in one of the most enlightened modern heathen nations pay divine honours to a fellow-creature, who is universally acknowledged by them to have been a mere man! As a specimen of the eagerness with which the Chinese receive Christian books, the following extracts from Mr. Gutzlaff's journal may be given : It has always been my anxious desire to give medical help whenever it was practicable. However, the sufferers are so numerous, that we are able to assist only a very small portion of the number. I should recommend it to a missionary about to enter China, to make himself perfectly acquainted with the diseases of the eye. He cannot be too learned in the ophthalmic science; for ophthalmia is more frequent here than in any part of the world. This arises from a peculiar curved structure of the eye, which is generally very small, and often inflamed by inverted eye-lids. Often while dealing out eye-water to a great extent, and successively examining the eye, I have wished to establish a hospital in the centre of the empire, in some place easy of access by sea and land. I know scarcely one instance of a clever medical man having given himself up to the service of this distant nation, with the view of promoting the glorious Gospel, and the happiness of his fellow-men. There have been several gentlemen, both at Macao and Can ton, whose praiseworthy endeavours Yet to alleviate suffering have been crowned with much success. we want an hospital in the heart of China itself; and we want men who wish to live solely for the cause. When I first went on shore at Ketow, the people were distrustful of receiving the word of salvation. Some of them hinted that our books merely contained the doctrines of western barbarians, which were quite at variance with the tenets of the Chinese sages. I did not undertake to contest this point with them, but proceeded to administer relief to a poor man who was almost blind. He was affected with this unexpected kindness, and, turning towards me, said, "Judging from your actions, your doctrines must be excellent ; therefore, I beseech you, give me some of your books. Though I cannot myself read, I have children who can." From this moment the demand for the word of God increased, so that I could never pass a hamlet without being importuned by the people to impart to them the knowledge of divine things. In the wide excursions which I took, I daily wit nessed their demand for the word of God. The greatest favour we could bestow upon the natives was to give them a book; which, as a precious relic, was treasured up and kept for the perusal of all their acquaintances and friends. At a distance, the island of Poo-to appeared barren and scarcely habitable; but as we approached it, we observed very prominent buildings and large glittering domes. A temple built upon a projecting rock, beneath which the foaming sea dashed, gave us some idea of the genius of its inhabitants, in thus selecting the most attractive spot to celebrate the orgies of idolatry. We were quite engaged in viewing a large building situate in a grove, when we observed some priests of Budha walking along the shore, attracted by the novel sight of a ship. Scarcely had we landed, when another party of priests, in common garbs, and very filthy, hastened down to us, chanting hymns. When some books were offered them, they exclaimed, ・ Praise be to Budha;" and eagerly took every volume that I had. We then ascended to a large temple surrounded by trees and bamboo. An elegant portal and magnificent gate brought us into a large court, which was surrounded with a long row of buildings, not unlike barracks; but the dwellings of the priests On entering it, the huge image of Budha and his disciples, the representations of Kwan-yin, the goddess of mercy, and other deformed idols, with the spacious and welladorned halls, exhibit an imposing sight to the foreign spectator. With what feelings ought a missionary to be impressed when he sees so great a nation under the abject control of disgusting idolatry! Whilst walking here, I was strongly reminded of St. Paul in Athens, when he was passing among the temples, and saw an altar dedicated 66 To the Unknown God." For here we also found both a small hall, and an altar covered with white cloth, allotted to the same purpose. I addressed the priests, who followed us in crowds; for several hundreds belong to this temple. They gave the assent of indifference to my sayings, and fixed their whole attention upon the examination of our clothes. It was satisfactory, however, to see that the major and intelligent part of them were so eagerly reading our books, that they could not find a few moments even to look at us. The treatise which pleased them most was a dialogue between Chang and Yuen, the one a Christian, and the other an ignorant heathen. This work of the late much-lamented Dr. Milne contains very pointed and just remarks, and has always been a favourite book among Chinese readers. The High Priest requested an interview. He was an old, deaf man, who seemed to have very little authority; and his remarks were common-place enough. Though the people seemed to be greatly embarrassed at our unexpected appearance, their apprehensions gradually subsided: meanwhile we had the pleasure of seeing our ship coming to anchor in the roads. Having, therefore, renewed my stock of books with a larger store, I went again on shore. At this time the demand was much greater; and I was almost overwhelmed by the number of priests. who ran down upon us, earnestly begging at least a short tract, of which I had taken great quantities with me. I was very soon stripped of all, and had to refuse numerous applications. We afterwards followed a paved road, and on a sudden came in sight of a large temple with yellow tiles, by which we immediately recognised it as imperial This temple was built several centuries ago (about 550), but it has undergone great repairs. It was erected to emblazon the glorious deeds of the goddess of mercy, who is said to have honoured this spot with her presence. We were told that upon a spot not exceeding twelve square miles (for this appears to be the extent of the island) two thousand priests were living. To maintain this numerous train of idlers, lands on the opposite island have been allotted for their use, which they farm out; but as this is still inadequate, they go upon begging expeditions, not only into the surrounding provinces, but even as far as Siam. From its being a place of pilgrimage also, the priests derive great profits. Many rich persons, and especially successful Captains, repair thither to express their gratitude, and spend their money in this delightful spot. In order to satisfy my mind respecting the founding of a depository for Scriptures and tracts in one of the temples, I took my station in the great hall which leads into the large temple. At this time I had taken the precaution of guarding my back by the wall, that I might not be thrown down by the crowd. Within a few minutes the priests thronged around me. Though they were urgent, they behaved politely, and begged, almost with tears, that I would give them a few tracts. How joyfully did they retire with the books under their arms. Thus we passed many days here; and the demand for the word of God, not indeed as such, but as being a new doctrine, increased daily more and more. PREACHED, MAY 23, 1830, at ST. PETER'S CHURCH, FOR THE FEMALE ORPHANS, "For they drank of that spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ."-1 COR. x. 4. FROM this, as well as from other passages of Scripture, it appears that the effects of that stupendous miracle, by which Moses brought forth water out of the rock at Horeb, continued with the Israelites during the greater part of their sojournings in the wilderness. There are some who imagine, according to the strictly literal meaning of this passage, that the rock itself, out of which the water flowed, was, by the exercise of a continual miracle, always present in their camp. Others, with more probability, that, by a common figure of speech, the rock is here put for the water which issued from it, and that a constant stream flowed from the original source, and followed, or rather accompanied (for so the original word imports) the Israelites through their various wanderings. In what strict sense that rock was Christ, I do not undertake to explain. But considering how, from the commencement, Aware how deservedly popular the Rev. H. Woodward is as a preacher, and what large congregations he drew on his recent occupation of some of our Dublin pulpits, we have requested his permission to print this sermon as our leading article for the present number. The subject is confessedly occasional; but if, by giving a wider circulation to this discourse, we can in any way enlist public opinion more largely in favour of one of the best managed and most interesting charities in Ireland, we humbly trust we shall not be considered idle or careless in our editorial vocation.-ED. N. S. VOL. III. 2 Y the entire system of the Old Testament, in all its institutions, its sacrifices, its ceremonial observances, its history, and its memorable characters-how all prefigured and centered in Christ, there is something very remarkable and significant in the declaration of my text. It shows how, even under that darker dispensation, Christ was embodied in the whole economy of the Jews; how sensibly he was brought near to them; how he entered into the system of their daily habits; how his presence was around them and amongst them; how the place on which they stood was holy ground; how every ordinary action had, in some sense, a sacred and religious character. Even their daily food had something sacramental in it: "They did all eat the same spiritual meat, and did all drink the same spiritual drink; for they drank of that spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ." If Christ was thus all in all under the older covenant, it follows that he must be so, with still brighter manifestation, under the more perfect dispensation of the Gospel; and that we upon whom the Sun of Righteousness has risen, are still more immediately and intensely acted on, encircled and pervaded by his presence and his Spirit. The whole system, then, in which we live has this sacred stamp upon it; so much so, that often, in our dealings and intercourse with the persons and objects that are around us, we are really and virtually concerned with, and acting, though perhaps unconsciously, in relation to Christ. Thus, for example, when our Saviour sends forth his Apostles, he addresses them in these words: "He that heareth you heareth me, and he that despiseth you despiseth me." And to so awful an extent is the majesty of his presence embodied, as it were, in their commission, that he thus fearfully denounces those who will not receive them: "Verily, I say unto you, it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gommorrah, in the day of judgment, than for that city." Again, in the instance of St. Paul's conversion: while in ignorance and unbelief, he made havoc of the church, and thought that he was doing God service; in the midst of this career of bigotry and false zeal, he hears a voice, saying unto him, "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?" His eyes are then opened, and he perceives, for the first time, what had been the real object of his hostility. The whole system he was vainly labouring to put down bore the marks of the Lord Jesus. Every wound he inflicted, was inflicted upon Christ. Every contempt he poured upon the truth--every trembling sufferer he haled to prison and to death--all was persecution of the Son of God. The whole church, of which we are, at least, visible and professing members, is, in Scripture language, described, in some peculiar sense, as Christ himself. Thus, in Eph. i. 22, 23, God is said to have given him "to be head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all." And in the second chapter, it is declared, "ye are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner-stone, in whom all the building, fitly framed together, groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord." Again, in the fifth chapter: "No man ever yet hated his own flesh, but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church." Many other passages might be quoted from the same apostle, in which the church is termed the body of Christ, meaning thereby that it is a society of which he is the head-through which his vitalizing influence flows--distributed, as from the natural head, throughout the whole body; a society bearing the same relation to Christ that the branches do to the vine; that is, essentially connected, incorporated, and identified with him—one with Christ, and Christ with it. And as the collective body of Christians is thus mystically united to the Saviour, so is each Christian separately and individually. "For we are members of his body, of his flesh and of his bones." "Know ye not," says the same apostle, "that Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates ?" And of himself he declares, that "to him to live is Christ;" that it is not he that lives, but Christ that liveth in him; for "the life," says he, "which I now in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." In the two sacraments of the Christian church, we perceive, also, how Christ leavens the whole lump. Baptism signifies our being mystically grafted into Christ. "Know ye not that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ, were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death; that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life." In the sacrament of the Lord's Supper, also, this great truth is strikingly apparent. To what degree, or in what special manner, our Lord is present in the memorials of his passion, has been, as you are well aware, the subject of endless controversy. It is enough for our immediate purpose to know, from his own words, that in some spiritual and sacramental sense, always to be devoutly, though not superstitiously acknowledged, the elements of the communion are Christ. "Take eat, this is my body." "This is my blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many, for the remission of sins." Now, the practical conclusion which I would draw from all this is the same as St. Peter draws, when he contemplates the awful conflagration of the earth: "What manner of persons ought we to be in all holy conversation and godliness." We live and move and have our being in a system and scheme of things which Christ thus intensely acts upon, and intimately pervades; where all is, in a certain sense, baptized into his name; where all is brought into covenant with him; where holiness unto the Lord is written upon every thing great and small; where nothing can be desecrated, without trampling on the blood of Christ; where sin |