The host of mendicants that infest the community, especially in our large towns, will be found to issue from cellars and garrets that have never been consecrated to the observance of the Lord's day. Let a man look round upon the world with the eye of a philanthropic economist merely, and he will see abundant evidence that the Sabbath was instituted in kindness to man, and that a sacred and strict observance of it tends directly to promote the temporal prosperity of mankind.

Let the Sabbath be forgotten for half a century in our own favoured land, and in vain might you look for a single Christian temple througout this western hemisphere. There are towns and villages on this continent, and even within our own commonwealth, where, for half a century the Sabbath has been neglected and despised; and if you will visit them, you see that you have no necessity of going into India, or the Southern ocean, to find immortal beings who are ignorant of their immortality, and men who must soon appear before God in judgment, who have seldom heard of God and his Christ. The various means of grace so abundantly blessed of God, are all by his own appointment brought into action on this holy day. But for the Sabbath, they would not be once thought of on other days; but for the Sabbath they would soon be erased from the recollections of men, and blotted out from the records of human affairs. Is the soul enlightened,

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convinced of sin, humbled, renewed, invigorated, comforted, assisted in its struggles with this conflicting world, brought forward on its spiritual pilgrimage, sanctified, prepared to triumph over death and the grave, made meet for heaven, clothed as an angel of light, and presented before the throne of God, without spot or wrinkle, or any such thing? All this light and purity, and consolation, and honour, and glory, she owes instrumentally to the Sabbath. Is this the happy allotment of the Church of God collectively? Are such the possessions of the nations of the saved, composed as they are of a great multitude which no man can number, from every kindred, and tongue, and people? With one voice must they ascribe this inestimable inheritance to the influence of the Sabbath. Blot out the Sabbath, and you blot out the last beam of hope from the troubled and desponding heart. Blot out the Sabbath, and no longer will the salutary lessons of the Bible lead ungodly men to repentance and salvation. No longer will the silver clarion of the Gospel proclaim liberty to the captive, and the opening of death's prison doors to those that are bound. No longer will the voice of supplication ascend from this ruined world, to draw from heaven the blessing now so munificently imparted by the hearer of prayer. Blot out the Sabbath, and in one mighty crowd of pilgrims, this world's population would march quietly on to the gulf of remediless ruin.

Mental prayer, when our spirits wander, it is like a watch standing still, because the spring is down; wind it up again, and it goes on regularly; but in vocal prayer, if the words run on, and the spirit wanders, the clock strikes false, the hand points not to the right hour, because something is in disorder, and the striking is nothing but noise.-Jeremy Taylor.

Habitual devotion would settle the ferment of our youthful passion, and sweeten the last dregs of our advanced age! how would this make our lives

yield the calmest satisfaction, as some flowers shed the most fragrant odours just at the close of the day! And perhaps there is no better method to prevent a deadness and flatness of spirits from succeeding, when the briskness of our passion goes off, than to acquire an early taste for those spirital delights, whose leaf withers not, and whose verdure remains in the winter of our days.-Langhorne.

Grace received fron Christ, is a token in hand, yea, a seal on the heart, and a most certain promise in God's

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own hand writing, of all that his love has engaged him to confer.-Seaton.

The great subject of revelation and object of faith in the covenant of redemption, was Christ, in whom were concentrated all the blessings of grace and glory, which in the promises, as so many stars in the Jewish hemisphere, became visible to faith in the night of the world, diffusing holy splendour and influence over the church, till the rising of the Sun of Righteousness. -Ibid.

Temptations increase experience, promote the exercise of grace, make us more serviceable to others, redound to our honour, make us more frequent and more abundant in the work of prayer, make Christ's people more and more conformable to his image; and, finally, make sin more hateful, the world less delightful, and relations less hurtful.

A temptation perceived is half conquered, for our greatest danger lies from snakes under the green grass.Henry.

The approaches of sin are like the conduct of Jael. "It brings butter in a lordly dish." It bids high for the soul. But when it has fascinated and lulled the victim, the nail and hammer are behind.-Cecil.

The bud of God's purpose becomes the flower of promise in the hands of Jesus Christ.-Smith.

The law presseth a man on till he flies to Christ, then it says, Thou hast gotten a refuge, I forbear to follow thee -thou art wise-thou art safe.Bengelius.

Lowliness of mind is not a flower in nature's garden, it is planted by the

finger of God in a renewed heart, and learned of the lowly Jesus.-Boston.

The beginings of sin are modest, the issues of it are impudent.

The example of Christ directs the silent stream of concealed beneficence, to the withered root of the widow's vineyard.

In heaven we shall form connexions that will never be broken; we shall meet with friends who will never die. Among celestial things there is firm and lasting constancy, while all that is on earth, changes and passes away.Blair.

A tomb is a monument situated on the confines of both worlds.

It is not possible for Christian piety to exist, without the brilliant light of truth, and the burning zeal of charity.

He that putteth a Bible into the hands of a child, gives him more than a kingdom; for it gives him a key to the kingdom of heaven.-Buchanan.

What majesty is there in a Christian's death? what a glory in his hope! "As the rivers roll the smoothest the nearer they approach the ocean; as the rose smells the sweetest when dying; as the sun appears most glorious when setting; so it is with the Christian."

A fire in a picture, may afford amusement to the beholder, but it will not warm; so hearing sermons may amuse the hearer, but cannot warm the heart, or do any good to the soul, unless the blessing of God attends it ;— this surely shews the necessity of prayer, for if I go to a place of worship without imploring a blessing, it is but reasonable to expect that I should be sent empty away.

Melancthon and Luther.

WHEN Melancthon arose to preach on some occasion, he took this text, "I am the good Shepherd." On looking round upon his numerous and respectable audience, his natural timidity entirely overcame him, and he could only repeat the text over and over again. Luthur, who was in the desk with him, at length impatiently exclaimed, "You are a very good sheep;" and, telling him to sit down, took the same text, and preached an excellent sermon from it.

Funeral Sermon.

MRS. CRESWELL, an abandoned character in the reign of Charles II, desired by will to have a sermon preached at her funeral, and for which the preacher was to receive ten pounds, but with this express condition, that he was to say nothing but what was well of her. A preacher was with some difficulty found who undertook the task. After a sermon preached on the general subject of mortality, and the good uses to to be made of it, he concluded with saying -"By the will of the deceased, it is expected that I should mention her, and say nothing but what was well of her. All that I shall say of her therefore is, she was born well, she lived well, and she died well; for she was born with the name of Creswell, she lived in Clerkenwell, and she died in the parish of Bridewell.

Awful Ignorance.

DURING one of Mr. Whitfield's excursions in Yorkshire, he preached in a field near Sheffield, to a large audience, a very affect ing sermon on the sufferings of Christ. A poor woman who was driving some asses laiden with bricks, stopped some time to hear him. When he mentioned the circumstance of his having suffered for sinners without the gates of Jerusalem, upwards of seventeen hundred years ago, she said, addressing herself to one of the asses,

goading it. "Go, Robin! as it is so long since, I hope it is not true;" and away she

went.

"Where are your Ears?"

A MUSICAL amateur of eminence, who was intimately acquainted with the Rev. Mr. Cadogan, had often observed Mr. C.'s inattention to his performances. He once said to him, "Come, I am determined to make you feel the force of music;-pay particular attention to this piece."-It was played. "Well, what do you say now?" “Why, just what I said before." "What! can you hear this, and not be charmed? Well, I am quite surprised at your insensibility,Where are your ears?" "Bear with me, my Lord," replied Mr. Cadogan, "since I too have had my surprise. I have often from the pulpit set before you the most striking and effecting truths: I have sounded notes that have raised the dead: I have said, Surely he will feel now; but you never seemed charmed with my music, though infinitely more interesting than yours. I, too, have been ready to say, with astonishment, Where are your ears?"

The Disconcerted Tyro.

THE late Andrew Fuller was always ready to assist a modest young minister, in the explication of a subject, or the composition of a sermon: he also knew how to chastise vanity, ignorance, and conceit. A young man calling on him one Saturday, and announcing with much consequence that he was going to preach on the morrow at a little distance, Mr. Fuller asked him for his text. He readily answered, that he was going to preach from-"One thing is needful.' "And what is that one thing?" said Mr. Fuller. Tyro replied, without hesitation, "Jesus Christ, certainly !" "Why then," said Mr. Fuller," you are worse than the Socinians: they do allow Christ to be MAN, but you are going to reduce him to a mere 'THING"."

St. Peter's Tomb.

LIKE every stranger who comes to Rome, I visited St Peter's; or rather once every day, and often twice, I went to admire that wonderful structure.

Right under the centre of the doom, and sunk below the pavement, is a kind of magnificent vault, constructed of the finest mar. ble, and ornamented with precious stones, lapis lazuli, jewels and gold. Here rests, or is said to rest, the body of the great Apostle. Gold and silver lamps are kept continually burning round the tombs; and the pious votaries throw themselves on their knees, as they approach the marble balustrade, which surrounds a spot so sacred. A superb canopy, supported on four rich waved pillars of bronze, covers the vault, and although upwards of one hundred and thirty feet high, it is so lost in the greatness of every object around us, that we can with difficulty conceive it to be half of that height. Yet there is one object in St. Peter's which is little, either in itself, or through the use made of it: this is a bronze statue of the Apostle, to the right of the aisle, sitting, and holding the key of heaven in his hand. One foot projects beyond the pedestal, and no good catholic enters or leaves the church without kissing it. Some repeat this ceremony three or four times, some stroke it down with their hands, as if

it was alive, whilst others stoop and rub their hands backwards and forwards against the sole of the sandal. In any other situation, I might have smiled, but the grandeur of the place prevented all intrusion of lighter thoughts, and I could only pity this striking instance of the degradation of the human character.-Semple.

Building of Churches in Portugal.

FOR building their new churches and religious houses, certain taxes are granted by government, and as these taxes are continued till the building be finished, it is astonishing how long a time it takes to complete them. The pious man who has contributed, perhaps voluntarily, a certain annual sum towards building a church, feels loth that for want of one more year, and work should fail; he therefore goes on conone more year's contribution, so good a tributing to the end of his life, and when he dies, makes sure of his soul by a donation in his will to the church of the mother of God, or of the heart of Jesus. Meanwhile, the monks, who have the administration of all these sums, go on thrivingly, and are indeed, the only fat people in Portugal.—Ibid.

The Devoted Negro. THE late Hannah More related, in the year 1782, the following anecdote, which she had just received on original and unquestionable authority:-The captain of a Dutch ship having gone to dine with a superior officer on board another vessel, a violent storm arose which prevented the possibility of his returning while it continued, and which, in a short time, drove his ship into a state of complete wreck. He had left

behind him, in the care of a poor black servant, two infant sons, the one four and the other five years of age. When the ship became unmanageable, and was rapidly filling with water, the seamen found themselves so suddenly imperilled as to have scarcely time to lower the long-boat, and make a desperate effort for the saving of their lives. Amidst the bustle of their hurried and last exertion, the poor black servant of the absent captain, coolly busied himself in tying his masters two son's into

a bag, placing beside them some condiments and provisions, and making other hasty preparations to afford them a chance for safety. Just as his task was completed, the long-boat had been filled with the ship's crew, and was ready to be pushed away from the wreck. Voices shouted to the negro, as he approached the side, that the boat was already over-loaded, that it would certainly sink if he attempted to force a passage for both himself and the boys, and that he must instantly resolve either to meet destruction in his own person or to abandon his master's children. "Very well," exclaimed the devoted and heroic negro, committing, without a moment's hesitation, the two boys to the boat; "give my duty to my master, and tell him I beg pardon for all my fauits;"—and the next moment, he plunged into the billows, not to rise again till the sea shall give up her dead. "I told this anecdote the other day," says Hannah More, “to Lord Monboddo, who fairly burst into tears. The greatest lady in this land wants me to make an elegy of it; but it is above poetry."

One cannot reflect on the remarkable devotedness of the negro, without thinking of the text: 'For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet, peradventure, for a good man, some would even dare to die; but God commendeth his love towards us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.' The negro died for love to a kind and indulgent master, and for fond attachment to two smiling and affectionate children; and who does not applaud his devotedness, who is not deeply affected with his disinterestedness, as a display of bright and marvellous moral excellence? But the Saviour of men not only died, but died ignominiously, and in circumstances of unutterable anguish, for his own creatures, for rebels against his government, for enemies to his glory, for despisers of for apostates covered with infamy, and criminals stained with the foulest guilt; and yet how slow, how reluctant, how positively averse are men to laud, to believe, or even simply to acknowledge the

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Maxims on Friendship.

NEVER make a coward your friend, nor a drunkard your privy councellor; for the one will desert you on the approach of the least danger, and the other will discover all your secrets. Both are dangerous to human society.

Con

Never make a friend suddenly; for though the first affection makes the deepest impression, yet that love is most permanent which dives into the soul by soft degrees of mutual society, and comes to be matured by time. Friendship, too soon contracted, like plants which shoot up too fast, are not of equal strength and stability with those which nature takes time to perfect. sider of a friendship before it be contracted. We should look upon our thoughts to be as safe in our friend's breast as in our own. He is not a true friend whom we could not so trust. A friend should be a second self; so he should be made, if worthy of it. An unworthy man can never be a good friend. The acquaintanceship of the wicked are to be called rather conspiracies than friendships. Amongst all human enjoyments, nothing is so rarely acquired, so dearly possessed, and so unhappily lost, as a true friend.