neglect of public worship, and for the purpose of making money. His friend admonished him that it was not right, that it injured himself and his family, and exhorted him to attend public worship. He said he could not do it; he must be there to take over the Rev. Mr. when he went to exchange. "I heard of that," said the Rev. Mr., "and I resolved, whenever I exchanged in future, to go on Saturday. I have since adhered to this resolution. And, having tried both ways, I am satisfied that the last is the best." Let all ministers of the gospel try it, and see if their experience will not accord with his.

"But," says a minister, "I cannot spend the time to go on Saturday." Then is it not improper to take the Lord's time? "But I wish a part of the Sabbath to be with my family." Then is it not wrong to spend any part of it in journeying to another town? Would it not be better that your brother's family, whenever you do exchange, should have all the benefit of your good example with them through the whole of the Sabbath; and let him come to your house on Saturday, and give to your family the benefit of his instruction and example through the whole of the day? Your example, it is thought, would, in that case, be more safe and salutary to your family and to your people. If it is useful for you to ride to a distant town to preach, your people may think it useful for them to ride as far to hear you, provided they like to hear you better than they do the man with whom you exchange; or, if they think his preaching will do them more good than yours, they may ride on the Sabbath to hear him, when you do not exchange. If the minister may ride out of his parish on the Sabbath once a month, his young people may think that they may do so once a fortnight, or once a week; imagining that they may do weekly, without great guilt, what he may do monthly.

2. Another reason why ministers should go, when

practicable, on Saturday, rather than on the Sabbath, is, that they will be more likely to be "in the Spirit on the Lord's day." In going from one's lodgingplace, from the closet and the family to the pulpit, the minister will be more likely to be in a spiritual frame of mind, than after riding from town to town, amidst the miscellaneous variety of objects which may occupy his attention. His hearers, also, in seeing him arrive from a distance, or knowing that he has occupied the morning in riding, will be less likely to be favorably impressed and spiritually benefited by his preaching, than if they knew he had come from his place of morning devotion and communion with God. Facts, it is believed, justify the conclusion, and observation will confirm and extend it, that the ministers who travel most on the Sabbath, are the least likely, in their exchanges, to do good.

A minister who was travelling, came, on Saturday afternoon, to a very uninviting place, and stopped for the Sabbath. He made his way from the steamboat up to a rum-tavern, the only one in the place. The villagers were assembled, carousing in the bar-room, and it was rumored among them that a preacher had stopped there. Many wondered how he came to stop. It was replied, because he would not travel on the Sabbath. On hearing that, a man said, "No doubt he is a good man; a man of principle. We had better have a meeting to-morrow, and hear him preach, I presume he will preach well." No such conclusion would have been drawn, had he come there in the stage, on the steamboat, or in the rail-car, or even on his own horse, on the Sabbath. No one would have presumed, from that fact, that he was a good man, or that it would be very desirable to hear him preach, though it were known that he came only from the next town; especially if it were known, also, that he might have come the day before. The Sabbath commends itself to the conscience; and even wicked

men know that all, especially professors of religion, and most of all, ministers of the gospel, should keep it holy. The more conscientiously and habitually they do this, even if it be at some sacrifice, the greater will be their influence for good upon their fellowmen. This is an important reason why ministers. who exchange should not go from town to town on the Sabbath. Conscience takes the side of the Sabbath. An enlightened man not only condemns others when they violate it, but also condemns himself.

A steamboat came up from Cincinnati, and got into Wheeling on Saturday night. A man on board told his friend he should stop there, and keep the Sabbath, though the boat was going on to Pittsburg, and, if not hindered, would arrive there the next day. He thought they had both better stop; they could then attend church; and, on Monday, should another boat pass, they could take that; and, if not, they could take the stage, go to Cumberland, and there take the rail-car. He had travelled much, and had found that men who stop on the Sabbath seem to get along, on the whole, quite as well as those who travel. At any

rate, he should stop. His friend appeared almost persuaded to stop also. He seemed to know that it was right; but he was "peculiarly situated." Every enlightened man who would break the Sabbath, must, to satisfy either himself or others, make out that he is "peculiarly situated.” Conscience takes the side of the Sabbath. He must show that his case is an exception to the rule, or condemn himself. What, in this man's case, was the peculiarity? He had his family with him, coming over from the west, after long absence, to see old friends at the east. That was a reason why he should stop and keep holy the Sabbath, and thus set a good example to his family, rather than a reason why he should travel. But it would cost more. True, it might. Sometimes it does, and sometimes it does not. But suppose it

should. God did not say, Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy, unless it will cost more; and why should any man act as if he had said this?

There are two things which no man should ever forget. One is, we have no right to obtain any more money than we can by obeying God. The other is, when we have obtained money, we have no right, and it is not wise, to keep any more than we can and keep holy the Sabbath. All the money which the proper keeping of the Sabbath requires, should go freely. It is a good investment; and yields often thirty, sixty, and even a hundred fold. Nor can any thing valuable be ultimately gained by doing what a man knows to be wrong.

on.

But that man seemed to forget this, and he went On Sabbath morning, that beautiful morning, one of those sweet little children fell overboard and was drowned. In the course of the week, after the father got over to Pennsylvania, he met the friend who stopped at Wheeling and kept the Sabbath. O, said he, I did wrong at Wheeling. I ought to have stopped, as you did, and kept the Sabbath. But I went on, and I have lost my child. He might have lost his child, if he had stopped. Men that do right sometimes lose their children, and it is very trying. But it is much more trying, for a father to lose a child in doing what he knows to be wrong, as this father deeply felt, and as every father similarly situated would feel. The spirit of a man, when sound, will sustain his infirmity; but a wounded spirit who can bear? There is no safety but in doing right. That fear of the Lord which leads a man to do his duty, whatever it may cost him, is not only the beginning, but also the perfection of wisdom. It is the surest way to the highest ultimate good. It is the best policy in this world, and wil! bring the most gracious and glorious reward in the world to

come.

Probably no enlightened minister, after riding from town to town, to exchange on the Sabbath, when he might have gone on Saturday, feels best prepared to preach most effectively from the text, "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy." Seldom, in such a case, would a minister take that text. If he should, and then, in view of the congregation, after meeting, ride home on the Sabbath, he would not be likely to do much good. Many a wicked man, if not now and then a good man, would say, "Physician, heal thyself.' Thou that preachest that other men should not break the Sabbath, dost thou break it?"

"But I go to preach;" and says another man, go to hear."

"I

"But you might and ought to hear at home." "And might not you, reverend sir, preach at home? You did not return home, after meeting, to preach."

"No; that was to be with my family." "And I," says the other, "after finishing my business, rode home, on the Sabbath, to be with my family."

The keeper of a livery stable, in speaking about letting horses on the Sabbath, said, "It is bad, very bad, but it is difficult to avoid it. The Rev. Mr. came the other Sabbath morning to get a horse and buggy to go seventeen miles to preach, and it would not answer to refuse him. And if I let him have a horse, I must let the factory people have horses. They say they go to to attend meeting. Some do, perhaps, and some do not. I cannot discriminate, and it is very bad."

If the keeper of that livery stable were to receive nothing for his horses on the Sabbath, he could avoid the difficulty. He would say to the Rev. Mr. ——, when he wants a horse to ride seventeen miles on Sabbath morning, "I should be very happy to accommodate you, if I could consistently do it. But if I let horses to you on the Sabbath, I must to other people, especially those who say they are going to