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preparations for his supper, performed these offices neatly and with much alacrity, and he commended her, saying also, "I trust that, while you show yourself so careful in the performance of the common duties of your station, you are not less diligent in observing the duties and privileges of a Christian." The girl, who was quite ignorant of religion, replied by asking what he meant; upon which he entered more particularly into an explanation of his meaning, dwelling especially on the importance of prayer, as he found that she lived in entire neglect of it. Her countenance and manner indicated a strict adherence to truth, and he told her that if, when he again passed through the place, she could assure him that she had knelt down every night and morning, and uttered a short prayer, he would give her a ten-guilder piece (a gold coin, value 16s. 8d.) After some hesitation the girl agreed, and asked what the prayer was, the repetition of which was to procure her a larger sum than she had ever before pos

sessed at one time. The burgomaster told her, "Lord Jesus, convert my soul." At first, the girl hesitated, and sometimes thought she might omit the repetition of these words, the full meaning of which she did not understand. A better feeling, however, induced her to continue, and also to inquire the meaning of these words.

About six months afterwards, the old gentleman returned; he went to the same inn; another girl laid his supper-cloth; he inquired for her predecessor in vain. He then asked for the landlord, who told him that five months back the girl alluded to had been seized with such a praying fit, that he found she would no longer do for his service, and that she was then living with a private family in the neighbourhood. In the morning the old gentleman sought and found her; and said he was come to fulfil his promise. She immediately recognized him, but decidedly refused his offered money, saying, "I have found a reward much richer than any sum of gold."

Advice to Boys.

DRINK ONLY WATER.

THE REV. SYDNEY SMITH, one of the greatest men of the last age, in spite of his reputation and habits as a diner-out, gives some very excellent advice on the subject of temperance. In one of his letters he says he never knew a gentleman who ate or drank as little as was good for his health. In the following epistle

to Lady Holland, he speaks still more decidedly in favour of abstinence from all fermented liquors :

"MY DEAR LADY HOLLAND,-Many thanks for your kind anxiety respecting my health. I not only was never better, but never half so well; indeed, I find that I have been very ill all my life, without know

ing it. Let me state some of the good arising from abstaining from all fermented liquors. First, sweet sleep; having never known what sweet sleep was, I sleep like a baby or a ploughboy. If I wake, no needless terrors, no black visions of life, but pleasing hopes and recollections. Holland House past and to come! If I dream, it is not of lions and tigers, but of Easter dues and tithes. Secondly, I can take longer walks, and make greater exertions without fatigue. My understanding is improved, and I comprehend political economy. I see better without wine and spectacles than when I used both. Only one evil ensues from it; I am in such extravagant spirits that I must lose blood, or look out for some one who will bore and depress me. Pray leave off wine-the stomach quite at rest; no heartburn, no pain, no distention. Yours, "SYDNEY SMITH."

ABANDON THE CIGAR. ONE doesn't like to be found in bad company, for it reflects on personal

character and habits. If all Christians, who are slaves to the use of an odious weed, would imitate Dr. Cox in breaking away from the low society with which it allies them, they would be the gainers, and Christian self-denial would have a weighty influence upon others.

"From fifteen to thirty, I am ashamed to say, I smoked. My conscience often upbraided me, as well as my best earthly friend. Still I made excuses. My physician, a smoker, helped me to some; and so I continued, till once, on board a steamer, a drunken gentleman, who felt and claimed a fuliginous brotherhood to me, though I recollected him not at all, came strutting up to me, and bringing his grog-smoked fumes almost in contact with my mouth, said with tuneful eructation, 'Give a-a l-ight, Dr. Cox? I handed him my cigar; he returned it; I threw it overboard; and since that have been enabled to keep myself from so foul and odious a sin! Since then-thirty-four years ago last September-I have felt pained at the sight of smoking, chewing and snuffing."

INTERMEDDLING PEOPLE.

It is very well that every couple do not wait to be married till the world in general sign the certificate of approval. It is curious how much intermeddling there is in such matters by people who would not lift a Samaritan finger to save either party from destruction if they needed help. It is curious why people cannot attend more to their own business

than to that of their neighbours; and it is curious, when we know that every neighbourhood produces this nuisance crop, that we cannot learn to cultivate the flowers of life, and let these noxious weeds spring up and die at their leisure, without the notice of our resentment.- Fanny Fern.

The Guide-Post.

HOLINESS OF HEART.

"FOLLOW peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord."-Heb. xii. 14.

This language is very emphatic, and for ever settles the question of man's moral fitness to enjoy heaven. This language, though addressed to the Hebrew church, applies with the same force to the present age, as in the days of the apostles.

Christianity is the same in every age. It always took the same moral fitness to prepare man to enjoy God. The apostle begins in the text by admonishing us to follow peace with all men; a strong argument for those simple-hearted Christians who believe all wars and contentions among men are wrong.

What a charm there is in the word peace. This was the word announced to the shepherds, by the angels of God.

Peace on earth, and good will towards men! What was the Saviour's mission into the world, but a mission of peace? Hear what He says, when He unrolled the parchment in the Temple, and read as follows, Luke xiv. 18:-"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; because He hath anointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor; He hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised."

This declaration of Scripture contains our blessed Lord's mission; and when contemplated by the Christian, it arouses every emotion of the soul in admiration of the peaceable reign of Christ's kingdom in the hearts of His followers; the apostle adds in another place-"but the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance; against such there is no law." Now, to enjoy peace with our fellowmen, we must first enjoy peace with

God. For the commandment is, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with all thy heart, soul, mind, and strength, and thy neighbour as thyself."-If America had lived up to this principle, the dark sins of oppression that now blot the face of that so-called Republic would never have made its citizens blush with shame.-Reader, "follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord."

Now as this language was addressed to Christians, so is this epistle. The second item presented in the text is holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord. Now, in the first place, holiness here is made a condition, and it would be well for us to consider what we understand by the term holiness. Purity, or integrity of moral character. Freedom from sin. This is Webster's definition of holiness, which I consider a very good one, as it covers the Scripture ground, and agrees perfectly with the teachings of our Lord and His apostles. Holiness

consists in an entire absence of sin from the heart, thereby enabling the Christian to render perfect obedience to God. The heart being thus renewed by grace, the Christian feels, by blessed experience, that he loves God with all his heart, and holds daily communion with Him, and with His Son Jesus Christ, and is willing to submit to every dispensation of Providence; and in fact, sinks into the divine will, and God becomes all in all. This is what I understand to be holiness of heart, without which no man shall see the Lord. The Lord Jesus uses similar language in his discourse on the mount, where He says, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." We cannot suppose He had reference to seeing with the natural eye, for that would destroy the sense of His language. It is said that they who

pierced Him shall see Him, and that the wicked shall call for rocks and mountains to fall on them and hide them from His face. Hence we see, that the true sense in which the Christian is to see God, is to enjoy Him. And to the Christian who truly enjoys God, the promise is, "I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able

to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Truly such language is encouraging to the Christian, who is struggling for that holiness of heart, without which no man shall see the Lord. Reader, the prayer of your unworthy servant is, that God by His grace may sanctify our hearts, and prepare and fit us for the enjoyment of the society of the blessed.

JAMES CLEMONS.

Biography.

REV. GEORGE STALLWORTHY.

Our mission has recently sustained a heavy loss by the death of the Rev. George Stallworthy. This event took place at Malua, on Monday, the 7th of November last. It was attended by circumstances of a peculiarly striking and affecting character-affecting as regards those that remain, and the cause to which his life was devoted; but happy and joyous, no doubt, to him.

On the Sabbath preceding his death, our brother engaged in his accustomed public duties, and appeared in his usual health; and when he retired to rest at night he seemed quite well. Notwithstanding these appearances, however, his work was done, and he was on the eve of his departure to the better land. Besides administering the ordinance of the Lord's Supper, which was his last public service, he had preached from the remarkable words, "Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his;" and on the preceding Sabbath he had preached from words equally remarkable, viz., "Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly;" and now both these passages were about to be fulfilled in his own case. As a thief in the night his Lord

came.

"At midnight a cry was heard, Behold the Bridegroom cometh." And if to depart in peace,

having lived the life of the righteous, be to die the death of the righteous, then may we safely conclude that such a death our brother died. Thus, so far as he was concerned, he died a truly enviable death. He "ceased at once to work and live," passing directly from his work on earth to the presence of his Lord above. No depressing seasons of suffering and inaction preceded his departure, no scenes of mourning and tears wrung his bosom, but all unconsciously the many strong and tender ties that bound him to earth were loosened, and he awoke in that world where cares are hushed and tears for ever wiped away. Our brother had very strong ties to bind him to earth. He has left a widow and nine children, the eldest of whom is only fourteen years of age, and the youngest was but ten days at the time of his death. It was, therefore, a peculiarly merciful arrangement that these ties should be severed unconsciously to him.

It was about three o'clock a.m., that the fact of his departure was ascertained. Mrs. Stallworthy was called from another part of the house by her eldest daughter, who was sleeping in the same room with her father. The child had been aroused by an unusual noise from his bed, doubtless occasioned by the

gentle struggle which preceded his departure. Mrs. Stallworthy found him apparently in a quiet slumber; but it was the sleep of death: he was gone. What a fearfully stunning blow to her! to find herself, without the slightest premonition, a widow with nine helpless children. May the widow's God be her stay; and may the followers of that Saviour in whose service her husband spent so many years of faithful labour take care of her and hers. It would not be easy to conceive of a case, the circumstances of which appeal more strongly and touchingly to the sympathies of the friends of the Redeemer than that of our widowed sister and her helpless charge.

The mortal remains of our brother were interred in the burial-ground belonging to the Institution at Malua. Side by side in that interesting spot, he sleeps with another beloved member of our mission, the late Mrs. Drummund, awaiting a glorious resurrection to eternal life. "Them that sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him."

"We laid them down to sleep,

But not in hope forlorn; We laid them but to ripen there, Till the last glorious morn." "Wherefore comfort one another with these words."

We have but scanty information as to the early life of our departed brother. About all we know is, that he was brought up to business; that while yet a youth, his mind was impressed with serious things; that shortly after finishing his apprenticeship in the town of Newport-Pagnell, he was led to determine to devote himself to missionary work; and that he made an offer of his services to the London Missionary Society, which was accepted, about the year 1829. After his acceptance by the Society, he pursued a course of study at Homerton College. We are not aware how long his course of study lasted: we suppose about three years. We know, from indisputable authority, that he was highly esteemed by his fellow-students.

He was regarded as a man of sterling worth and thorough devotedness to the cause of God. In his case, the student was the father of the man of maturer years.

In the year 1833, the Directors of the London Missionary Society determined to recommence missionary operations on the Marquesas. Two unsuccessful attempts had been made to introduce the Gospel to that group; one by a devoted man of God, who was one of the first party who sailed in the " Duff," in 1796, the late Rev. W. P. Crook, who died in Australia, only a few years ago. (See Ellis's "History of the London Missionary Society," pp. 51 and 68, 69.) The second attempt was by American missionaries from the Sandwich Islands, shortly before the resumption of the work by the London Missionary Society. Owing to causes with which we are not well acquainted, these brethren had thought it their duty to abandon the group, after a residence upon it of about twenty months or two years. In October, 1833, our departed brother, in company with one who has long rested from his labours, the Rev. John Rodgerson, sailed from England, and after spending some months at Tahiti, they reached their destination at the Marquesas in October, 1834. Owing to the extreme ferocity and profligacy of the Marquesans, Mr. Rodgerson considered it unsuitable to remain among them with his wife and children, and removed to Tahiti in 1837. Mr. Stallworthy, who was unmarried at the time, considered it his duty to remain at his post. Under circumstances of discouragement and privation, such as do not fall to the lot of many missionaries in these times, he continued his indefatigable labours alone, till he was joined by a fellow-labourer, Mr. Thompson, in 1839. The mission was continued till the close of 1841, when, in consequence of various untoward circumstances, these brethren, with the concurrence of their brethren at Tahiti, considered it their duty to retire from the group. We have

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