Nobody's Enemy but his own.

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inclined to break the good resolutions which I have made. Be pleased, O Lord, to strengthen me by thy grace, and to confirm me in every good purpose; and grant that each time of receiving this holy food, I

be better able to withstand temptation, and less inclined to fall into sin. Grant this, O Lord, for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen.

"NOBODY'S ENEMY BUT HIS OWN."

A COUNTRYMAN'S THOUGHTS.

To the Editor of the Cottager's Monthly Visitor.

WORTHY SIR,

I AM a plain man, and do not pretend to more learning than my neighbours, but I see no reason why a poor man should not think as well as a rich one; and, if it won't be taking too great a liberty, I shall make bold to trouble you with a thought here and there, just as I can contrive to splice them together.

Now, sir, there is with us, and I dare say with those in the great city too, a common saying, "Nobody's enemy but his own." I have had my thoughts upon this, and it has been a monstrous puzzle to me. Perhaps you can help me out. There's Will Graceless, in the next parish to our's, that lives round the corner by the blacksmith's shop; he is lazy, he blasphemes, he is a spendthrift, a liar, and a slanderer; but Will never cut his neighbour's throat, or picked his pocket; and whenever I have chanced to say, "that man is running the road to destruction, and placing his immortal soul in peril; we must not walk in the way with him, lest evil befall us:" when I have said this, Jack Stiles, or George Scroggins, or whoever it might be, would cry, "No! why Will is an honest fellow; 'he is nobody's enemy but his own.' I have on such occasions remembered that text of Holy Writ, "Cha

rity hopeth all things, believeth all things;" and thought within myself, that I might judge too harshly, and so prove myself to be without "that most excellent gift." But then, thought I again, Will sets a bad example. Many 's the man I have seen on a Saturday night, with his week's earnings in his pocket, pass his own door, and trudge to the beer-house. "Graceless will be

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there, he is so pleasant, and a merry party we'll make of it." What can I think but that this person is an enemy to his neighbours." The other day my wife, who, thanks be to God and the lessons she was taught in a Sunday School, is as sober a sort of body as you shall see in a summer's day, went to Will's cottage on her way to the mill. Thorns and thistles did the garden bring forth; in the house were poverty, dirt, wretchedness, and want. The miserable woman was crouching down on what ought to have been a bed,clothed in rags; two little children by her side, poor lambs! crying for the bread they could not get. A boy, who might be about eleven or twelve, was heard to say, as my Bridget got near the door, "Not I, what should I go there for? Father says we need not mind the Bible; and what he says must be right."

Man, what hast thou not to answer for? Thou art an enemy, a bitter enemy, to the wife of thy bosom, and the children, whom thou art not bringing up "in the nurture and admonition of the Lord." Repent, and that quickly, or they will "rise up against thee in the day of judgment, and condemn thee."

But it appears to me that there is one more consideration, and an awful one it is. A man like Will Graceless is not only an enemy to himself, and to those around him; I think, if we look into the Bible, it will be found that he is an enemy to his GOD. "The Lord hateth all the workers of iniquity." Yes; He who " can destroy both soul and body in hell," hath declared, that "He will not know a wicked person,' and has put on record the sentence that will be pronounced on such a one, 66 Depart from me, thou

cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and

his angels."

JONATHAN HODGES.

"WHAT IS TRUTH?”

St. John xviii. 38.

THIS is a question of the utmost importance, and should be well considered by us all, as the foundation on which to build our opinions, our principles, our practice, and our reliance, both in temporal and spiritual matters; for truth cometh forth from God, and is the light of the world, and is opposed to falsehood and deceit, which are the offspring of the devil, who is the father of lies, and has deceived from the beginning, beguiling unwary mortals with "the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life," and every sinful propensity; glossing over vice with seemliness, and making the world to favour that which is wrong, rather than that which is right; and teaching worldly-minded mortals to excuse themselves for sinning, because others do so: thus making themselves the servants of the devil, taking his yoke upon them, (and it is a heavy yoke), receiving the wages of unrighteousness, and working their own destruction both of body and soul. And the devil is a hard master! for how does he reward his followers? He urges them to run through a course of evil, the pleasures of which are short and deceitful; and every such pleasure adds a load to the conscience, till it becomes so hardened, that there is no fear of that which is evil, no desire of that which is good. The career of some who are thus deceived, is shortened by vice and intemperance; and others fall a sacrifice to the just laws of their country. Some, it is true, follow an evil course to old age, and possess store of this world's goods; and, having " loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil," darkness is their por

tion; they look not beyond the grave; they have no hope, no prospect, to cheer them in the decline of life: they dare not think of death; they cling to that darkness, which they have lived in: and, being buoyed up with self-will and self-conceit, have not the light of grace to exclaim, "God be merciful to me a sinner;" gradually losing their strength and vigour, acquiring the infirmities of old age, and perhaps visited by pain and sickness. That world in which they trusted, deserting them, they become a prey to misery; that master they have served in youth and manhood has no recompence to soothe or cheer his afflicted servants with; he leads them to destruction, and they cannot, in their distress, find comfort in looking to the God they have not sought.

Seeing thus the wretched state of those who live in darkness, let us seek for the light, and earnestly enquire, "what is truth?" It is the duty of every Christian to endeavour to acquire a knowledge of the truth; we should pray to God to enlighten our darkness, to assist our endeavours, and to preserve us from the wiles of the devil: we should always speak the truth; (even though it should seem to our present disadvantage), and we should encourage truth from all we are concerned with, in our dealings and families. Children should be taught to speak the truth always, both by precept and example; and those who do so, may hope for a blessing from God, in their search after truth, for the furtherance both of their temporal and eternal interests. Every Christian is called on to work out his salvation with fear and trembling!" How can he work in darkness? To pursue the work, he must have the light of truth: God is the author of light and truth; to Him we must seek, in sincerity of heart, to guide us into all truth; nor must we expect Divine assistance to accomplish the work within us, unless we are constantly seeking his help, and carefully striving, with that help, to keep our hearts and minds clear from evil, and bent on serving God.

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We must read his holy word, and receive it in stedfast faith, to the salvation of our souls. We must abstain from evil in all our thoughts, words, and works; and in all our worldly concerns, observing the law of truth, we shall live, as we are bound to do, to the glory of God, and the good of our own souls; we shall enjoy the comfort of so doing here, and shall be cheered with the hope of happiness hereafter, through that redemption which was purchased for us by our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ. To those who take his yoke upon them, (and it is an easy yoke), he affords Divine assistance, through all the changes and chances of life: he directs the ignorant, supports the weak, and comforts the afflicted. The true Christian is never forsaken: in the hour of peril he relies on his God, and is supported. As health, and strength, and life decline, his mind is cheered by a trust and confidence in his Saviour, whose he is, and whom he has sought to serve: and the many and great mercies which he has received during the course of his life, give him a joyful expectation of the truth of the assurance, that God is with him, that God is truth, and that the truth shall make him free. To him death has lost his sting; over him the grave obtains no victory : he looks forward, in humble hope, to a blissful eternity; for God's word is truth, and that word says, "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee!"

Sent by J. C.

ANGER.

SOME people think that, if they rob nobody, and, as they say, pay every man his own, all is right with them; whilst, perhaps, they give a loose to the most violent passions whenever things do not go according to their own wishes or fancies. Now, certainly, to rob no man, and to pay every man his own, is the duty of us all; but still we may cause as much misery and distress to the