life on earth, he preached almost constantly under the open sky. He stood and proclaimed the truth on ships, in fields, and on the sides of mountains; and not unfrequently he carried it into the lanes and streets of the city. He not only offered salvation to those who came to seek it in the synagogue and in the temple, but he went himself to seek and to save those that were lost. It was while he was employed in such ways as these that he met with most of those young men who afterwards became his chosen disciples, and who carried the Gospel into all the

nations of the earth. The Redeemer was imitated in this part of his conduct by his Apostles. They did not confine their labours either to fixed times or places, but were "instant in season and out of season," and "went every where preaching the word." They preached Christ in markets, and fairs, and on mountains, as well as in the synagogue and temple; and numbers were thus made to hear the Gospel, and brought to seek salvation, who might otherwise have gone down to the grave in pagan darkness. We ought to follow their examples. There

are

scores of thousands at the present day, and in our own land, that need such efforts as much as the sinners that lived in the times of Christ and his Apostles; and by such efforts the Gospel might be carried to the ears, and lodged in the hearts, of numbers of them. If this duty was faithfully attended to, many that have been trained in ignorance and sin, would be brought forth from their guilt and wretchedness, and become the happy children of the Lord Almighty. And if a powerful impression were once made upon the neg lected and profligate masses of our countrymen, the work might be carried forward gloriously. The conversion of one to-day, might lead to the conversion of ten to-morrow, and a new and mighty impulse would thus be given to the cause of God in the world. Let us up and be doing.

On being asked if these daily persecutions did not sometimes make him ready to give up his profession of attachment to divine truth, he replied, "No! I recollect that our good minister once said in his sermon, that if we were so foolish as to permit such people to laugh us out of our religion, till at last we dropped into hell, they could not laugh us out again."

IT WAS GOOD FOR ME THAT I WAS AFFLICTED.--To a lady who had many bereavements, to convince her such dispensations are permitted to strengthen our graces and promote our spiritual refinement.

"I have now before me two stones, which are in imitation of precious stones. They are both perfectly alike in colour; they are of the same water, clear, pure, and clean: yet there is a marked differ

ence between them as to their lustre brightness, while the other is dull, so and brilliancy. One has a dazzling rives no pleasure from the sight. that the eye passes over it and deWhat can be the reason of such a difference? It is this: the one is cut but in a few facets; the other has ten times as many. These facets are produced by a very violent operaand to polish. tion: it is requisite to cut, to smooth, Had these stones

been endued with life so as to have been capable of feeling what they underwent, the one which has received eighty facets would have would have envied the fate of the thought itself very unhappy, and other, which, having received but eight, had undergone but a tenth part of its sufferings. Nevertheless, for ever. the operation being over, it is done the two stones always remains The difference between strongly marked. That which has suffered but little, is entirely eclipsed by the other, which alone is held in tion. May not this serve to illusestimation and attracts great attentrate the reason why many of the best Christians are allowed to suffer in the present world the severest and bitterest trials? Is it not evidently

DUTY OF MASTERS TO THEIR SERVANTS.-Use them kindly in all things. Do more for them than your engagements require, rather than less; and thus secure their esteem and love, and bind them to you by the powerful ties of gratitude. Love is the sceptre by which the rational creation is to be swayed. Love is the mightiest and the happiest power in the universe. Force may destroy, and skill may baffle, but it is love alone that can truly conquer, and take away the wish and power to rebel. Love in a father or a master will generally secure obedience; and where it fails for a time, the remembrance of it will make disobedience grievous and intolerable to the offender. Love and gratitude in your servants will make their obedience cheerful and constant, and convert a painful duty into a pleasure. Awaken then their affections, and keep them awake, and your opportunities of doing them good will be unlimited.

ALL religion stands in being resigned in heart to God without reserve; and any farther than our minds come to this, all professions, opinions, words, or prayers in relation to religion, are nothing but empty sound. All sin lies in following man's own will; all righteousness in resigning to God's will. If we follow our own will, we are lost: if we follow God's will, we obtain salvation; and this is directly the one way to Heaven, the other the way to Hell.--Thomas Areskine.

HAPPY are they, who, amidst the darkness and perplexity of life's arduous journey, keep their eye steadily fixed on that land of rest to which it conducts them—who annoy not their fellow-travellers by unkindness or reproaches, but, by every tender and gentle assiduity, endeavour to lighten their burdens, and beguile the length of the way; and, by every fresh discovery of the errors and frailty of human nature, become less observant of the failings of others, and more watchful over their

own.

ANSWERS TO ENQUIRIES.

TEMPERANCE REFORMATION. A friend wishes us to recommend all the members of Total Abstinence Societies to address petitions to Parliament to the following effect :

"The petition of the undersigned RECLAIMED DRUNKARDS, showeth," &c.

But our friend seems not to understand that the members of Total Abstinence Societies are not generally reclaimed drunkards. Perhaps not one in ten of the members were ever drunkards.

The petition prays that Parliament would "cause to be prohibited the drinking of all intoxicating liquors on the premises of any tavern, hotel, public-house, dram-shop, or beer-shop, except by travellers, or persons coming to markets or fairs, and that heavy penalties be inflicted upon the parties violating such enactment."

To such an enactment we should have three or four objections: 1. We think that travellers and persons coming to markets and fairs have no more need for intoxicating drink than others. 2. It would be of no use preventing drinking in particular places: what is wanted is a change in the sentiments and tastes of the people. Shutting them out of one place, would only drive them into other places, unless we could get them to renounce the drink voluntarily. 3. Such an enactment would only cause all that are fond of drinking to turn travellers, or to call themselves such, or cause them all to go to fairs and markets oftener than they otherwise would. How easy it would be for the drinkers to say, "We are all travellers." 4. We cannot, as Christians, recommend the infliction of penalties: "We war not after the flesh :" "Our weapons are not carnal." We can use no means for the reformation of men but the truth; we can recommend the use of no other instrument to others. Besides we have no great hopes of any important reformation being attempted by the Houses of Parliament:"the members are not themselves reformed. It is not wise to look to governments for reforms: if we want to see a general improvement in the character and condition of our countrymen, we must labour for it as indi

Ans. I very much question whether any answer could be given to the above questions, which would not be liable to be seriously misunderstood. The question itself is too loose; it is altogether indefinite. What sort of teaching is it that the question refers to? Is it teaching reading and writing that is meant? or is it teaching religion? What is meant by "a good moral character?" The only good morality is love to God, and love to man. What is meant by admitting people to teach? The friend who proposes the question should have stated the particular case to which his questions referred. If I were to build a Sunday School, and had the appointment of teachers, I should put the direction and government of the whole concern into the hands of pious people. I should prefer having every benevolent institution entirely under the control of Christians. I would have the committee, and all the managing parties Christians. I should not feel in my place, to be yoked with any one who was not a believer in Christ, and a servant of God. I would not, therefore, admit into the governing body of the school, any but such as I believed to be Christians.

Nor, secondly, would I appoint an

irreligious person to give religious instruction to the children: it would be folly to do so. But I cannot see why all but such as are truly and decidedly religious should be shut out from all part in the business of instruction. I do not see why any decent person should be denied the liberty of teaching a child the A. B. C. I do not see why the unconverted scholars themselves should not thus teach each other.

Why should one scholar be forbid to tell another scholar how to make a stroke, or spell a word? If I had a Sabbath School entirely under my control, I should prefer religious characters for every thing, and I should entrust the whole of the government of the school to them; but I should refuse no creditable person, whether young or old, the liberty of teaching the children to read or write.

CONGREGATIONAL METHODISM.

SEVERAL churches which have recently been formed, and where a wide field of useful labour is presented, being in want of suitable pastors, a Board of Correspondence has been instituted for the purpose of receiving applications from ministers, and facilitating their settlement over such congregations as have vacancies.

Individuals referring to the board will be expected to furnish the most satisfactory testimonials as to moral character, piety, ministerial qualifications, and that they approve generally of the doctrines and discipline taught and established in the methodist denominations.

Churches founded on the congregational methodist principle, may also, if they deem it convenient, avail themselves of the board, to assist them in procuring a supply of ministers.

Communications for the board may, for the present, be addressed to the care of the Editor of the Christian Investigator, Courant Office, Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

No. 6.

"Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful."-LUKE vi. 36.

THE Redeemer, in the words of the text, requires us, not only to be merciful, but to imitate, in the exercise of mercy, the mercy of the Divine Being. "Be ye therefore merciful as your Father which is in heaven is merciful." It is our desire to explain and enforce this precept; to show, in the first place, what it is that is required of us, when we are called upon to imitate the mercy of our Heavenly Father; and, in the second place, to state some of those considerations which are calculated to stimulate us thus to imitate the mercy of God.

In the first place we would show what kind of beneficence it is that is required of us, when we are called upon to imitate the mercy of our Heavenly Father. How does our Heavenly Father proceed in the exercise of mercy? We answer,

1. The mercy of our Heavenly Father extends to all his works. "The Lord is good to all," says the Psalmist, "and his tender mercies are over all his works." "The eyes of all wait upon him; and he gives them their meat in due season. He openeth his hand, and satisfieth the desire of every living thing." The tender regard of God extends to every order of beings. Whether they be rational or irrational, whethey be visible or invisible, whether

VOL. 1.

they dwell on the earth, or inhabit the deep, or have their abode in the worlds above, they are still the objects of God's tender care. And he attends to the interests, and ministers to the enjoyment, of every individual in each order of beings. There is not a single creature either in earth or heaven but what is the object of his affectionate care. The least as well as the greatest; the lowest as well as the highest; all come under his notice, and receive supplies of blessings from his hands.

If, therefore, we would be merciful, as our Father which is in heaven is merciful, we must embrace within the circle of our goodwill the whole of God's creation, and we must labour to promote the welfare of every fellow-creature over which our influence extends. There are some orders of beings to which we have no power of doing good, except so far as we may do them good indirectly, by promoting the welfare of other beings that are placed in nearer relationship to us. Our principal concern is with those of God's creatures which are placed directly under our influence, and especially with our fellow-men. If we imitate the mercy of God, we shall be merciful to our beast, and kindly disposed to every thing that hath life; but our principal concern will be with men. It is kindness to our fellow-men that is so frequently inculcated in the New Testament. It is our fellow-men, therefore, that

we are especially to love, and that we are especially to labour to benefit. But our love and our labours are not to be limited to a portion of our fellow-men; they are to extend to our whole race. We are to do good to all men as we have opportunity. Our plans of beneficence are to be as wide as the world; and our object and endeavour must be to make happy every child of man.

2. Our Heavenly Father regards the whole interests of his creatures, and consults their welfare in all respects. With respect to man, he does not attend to a part of his interests, and overlook the rest: he does not attend to his body, and neglect his soul; he does not attend to man's interests for time, and neglect his interests for eternity; he attends to all man's interests. He considers our capacities in all respects, and bestows on us his various blessings accordingly. He looks to our welfare in the future, as well as at the present, and provides for our happiness through the whole duration of our being. Our Heavenly Father has acted on this principle from the beginning. When he formed man at first, and gave to him a double nature, he gave to him a double portion accordingly. He endowed him with health and vigour, and clothed him with beauty and immortality. He provided for him a delightful habitation, and surrounded him with every thing that could minister to his enjoyment. The heavens and the earth, the sun, and moon, and stars, the winds and clouds, the hills and dales, the woods and open fields, the fountains and the streams, the herbs and flowers, the blossoms and the fruits, and every living thing, were all made to minister to man's felicity. But while God thus richly provided for the life and comfort of man as an earthly being, he did not forget his soul. He had given him a spirit, with capacities of boundless knowledge, of unlimited improvement in moral excellence, and of immeasurable and eternal pleasures; and he accordingly provided him with the means of knowledge, he placed him in the way of spiritual advancement, and favoured him with rich communications of joy. He did himself become man's teacher and companion, and in affectionate and gentle

ways draw forth his powers, and lead him onward in the paths of light and blessedness. And God still acts on the same principle. He cares both for our bodies and our souls: he makes provision for the welfare of our whole being, and for our happiness through every future period of our existence. To minister to our earthly welfare, he gives us a fruitful earth, and friendly seasons. He clothes the hills with grass, and the fields with corn, and the trees with fruit. The sun and moon and stars; the winds and clouds; the lightning and the thunder; the sunshine and the showers; the darkness and the light; the heat and cold; the everchanging seasons; and all the rich productions of the soil, are but so many means by which he supports our life and ministers to our earthly happiness.

But he does not stop here. He has a special regard to our spiritual welfare. Such was his love to our souls, so great was his regard to our spiritual welfare, that "he gave his only begotton Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have everlasting life." He has given us a revelation of his will; he has provided for the forgiveness of our sins, and for the renovation of our souls; he has given us a multitude of great and precious promises; he has opened to us innumerable sources of holy enjoyment, and he has prepared for us an amount of blessedness in heaven beyond all that our hearts can conceive.

It is in this way that the Redeemer would have us to be merciful. He would have us to attend, not to a part of man's interests only, but to the whole. He would have us to look on our fellow-men both as earthly and as spiritual beings, both as the inhabitants of time, and as the intended inhabitants of eternity; and he would have us to labour for their welfare in both these respects. We are in danger of limiting our regard to a part of man. There are multitudes who act towards their fellow-men, as if they considered them as animals merely, and as inhabitants only of the present world. They are concerned for their earthly welfare, but they appear not to have any concern for the welfare of their souls. They are distressed when