able to read. We read to them the address to the Church in Sardis, and then the account of the day of judgment, (Matt. xxv.) Conversed with them about what we read, and then spoke of the Lord's-day, and endeavoured to explain its design, and gave them some tracts. We had our usual forenoon service in the upper part of the mill; and could not refrain from weeping, while we sung the seventy-fourth Psalm, and prayed among the ruins of Sardis. Here were once a few names which had not defiled their garments; and they are now walking with their Redeemer in white. But alas! the Church, as a body, had only a name to live, while they were in reality dead; and they did not hear the voice of merciful admonition, and did not strengthen the things which were ready to die.' Wherefore the candlestick has been removed out of its place. .. Our eye has affected our hearts, while we beheld around us the ruins of this once splendid city, with nothing now to be seen but a few mud huts, inhabited by ignorant, stupid, filthy Turks; and the only men who bear the Christian name, at work all day in their mill. Everything seems as if God had cursed the place, and left it to the dominion of Satan."-Memoir of REV. PLINY FISK.

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THE

SCRIPTURE NOTICE.

"AND to the angel of the Church in Philadelphia write; These things saith He that is holy, He that is true, He that hath the key of David, He that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth; I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name. Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are

not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee. Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. Behold, I come quickly; hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is New Jerusalem, which cometh down out of Heaven from my God, and I will write upon him my new name. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the Churches."Rev. iii. 7-13.

“As we drew near Philadelphia, I read with much interest the epistle to that Church. The town is situated on a rising ground, beneath the snowy Mount Tmolus. The houses are embosomed in trees, which have just assumed their fresh green foliage, and give a beautiful effect to the scene. I counted six minarets. We entered through a ruined wall; massy, but by no means of great antiquity. The streets are excessively ill paved and dirty. The tear of Christian pity must fall over modern Philadelphia. Were Christ himself to visit it, would he not weep over it, as once over Jerusalem ? Alas! the generation of those who kept the word of our Lord's patience is gone by; and here, as in too many other parts of the Christian vineyard, it is difficult to discover better fruits than those which are afforded by briars and brambles! It is indeed an interesting circumstance to find Christianity more flourishing here than in many other parts of the Turkish empire. There is still a numerous Christian population, occupying eight hundred houses. Divine Service is performed every Sunday in five churches; and there are twenty of a smaller

description, in which, once a year, the Liturgy is read. But though the candlestick remains, its light is obscured: the lamp still exists, but where is its oil? Where is now the word of our Lord's patience?—it is conveyed in sounds unintelligible to those who hear. When the very epistle to their own Church is read, they understand it not! The word of legendary superstition and of multifarious will-worship is now more familiar to their ears. And where is the bright exhibition of Christian virtues? Unhappily the character of Christians in these countries will scarcely bear comparison with that of Mahomedans themselves! In a word, Philadelphia has had her share in that utter apostasy from true and practical Christianity which has been the bane of the East. Grievous wolves have entered in, not sparing the flock. There have been false teachers among them, who privily have brought in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them: and many have followed their pernicious ways, by reason of whom the way of truth is evil spoken of . . .

"We have just ascended the ancient acropolis, a hill above the city, which commands a most extensive prospect. Below is the town, surrounded by its wall and embosomed in trees.

"We see this interesting place to peculiar advantage. For several days, we have been contending with rain, cold, and adverse weather: but to-day, on arriving at Philadelphia, lo! 'the winter is past, the rain is over and gone, the flowers appear on the earth, the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in the land.' The voice of the turtle charmed me greatly, during our stay here. This favourite bird is so tame, that it flies about the streets, and comes up close to our door in the khan. The remains of antiquity at Philadelphia are not numerous. I have noticed a few beautiful sarcophagi, now devoted to the purpose of troughs...

"Our visit to Philadelphia was rendered the more

interesting, by the circumstance of our being the bishop's visitors. He pressed us so strongly to make his house our home, that we thought it right to comply with his wishes. Many of his remarks afforded us satisfaction. The Bible he declared to be the only foundation of all religious belief... and that' abuses have entered into the Church, which former ages might endure, but the present must put them down'... The Christian population he considered to be on the increase at Philadelphia.

In the evening, we attended the metropolitan church ; but to give a true account of the sad degradation of Christian worship exhibited on this occasion, would be equally difficult and painful. We were highly pleased with the engaging manner of Panaretos. His house, also, which is termed, as usual by the Greeks, the Metropolis, exhibited a decorum suited to a Christian bishop... From the verandah, we had a view over the whole town by day; and at night we observed the illuminated minarets spreading their light over the city, as is customary during the (Mahomedan) fast of Ramazan ... The circumstance that Philadelphia is now called Allah-Shehr, the City of God,' when viewed. in connexion with the promises made to that church, and especially with that of writing the name of the city of God upon its faithful members, is, to say the least, a singular coincidence."-HARTLEY'S Researches..

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"We arrived at Allah-Shehr, the ancient Philadelphia,

entering the town through chasms in the old wall, but which, being built of small stones, did not appear to be (particularly ancient ;) the passage through the streets was filthy in the extreme, though the view of the place as we approached it was extremely beautiful, and well entitled to the appellation of the 'fair city'

We walked through the town, and up to the hill on which formerly stood the acropolis: the houses were mean in the extreme, and we saw nothing on the hill but some walls (of comparatively modern date.) On 1 Others call it Ellah-Shehr, "Beautiful City."