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"THY WILL BE DONE."

How often are these words of sub-
mission to, and acquiescence in the
divine will, to be found on the lips,
without having gained an entrance
into the heart! Under the dark
cloud of blindness and unbelief we
murmur at those things which in
reality are making " for our peace."
"We sorrow as those that are
without hope," under the pressure
of those heavy trials which indeed
are working "for our good." We
are so blind, that we cannot see the
Sun of righteousness, through the
mist of tears, and the cloud of sor-
row; and so deaf, that we cannot
hear the low soft voice of a Sa-
viour's love. 66
Why art thou
fearful?" Amidst the storm and
the tempest of life-

'That voice of love can charm away
The accents of despair,
And make the sufferer's darksome way
Again look bright and fair.'

pairing anguish, when he took the knife to slay his son.” "The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away," said holy Job, encompassed with sorrows; but he stopped not here, that was an obvious truth, he had a full sense of the love that guided the hand that smote him; and in the fulness of faith he exclaimed, "Blessed be the name of the Lord." "In the multitude of the sorrows that I had in my heart, thy comforts have refreshed my soul," was the sweet experience of one who had drank deeply of the bitter cup of affliction. Paul was "ready," he said, “to be offered," ready to fulfil the will of God; looking out of himself up to Jesus. He who " spake as never man spake," has enjoined us by precept and example to make the will of God our will. “Not as I will, but as thou wilt," may be a hard lesson for frail humanity; but it is a lesson that must be learned in the school of Christ-a lesson that can only be taught by the " Great Teacher," out of the book, not of nature, but of grace! "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me," is a blessed experience, an anchor on which the weary, heavy-laden soul rests her hopes of an eternal world, with undoubting confidence and unshaken faith. The cloud and the storm of spiritual darkness and distress is broken, and dispersed by the beaming star of Gospel promise, "When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee." Oh dear reader, may you and I realize this by our own sweet and happy experience; and when our day of trial comes, may we with the calmness and the silence of faith, "cast all our care upon him who careth for us ;" and ever look unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith.

When watching by the deathbed of a dear and a loved one; what is it but unbelief that sits at the despairing heart, and whispers in agonizing sobs resistance to the decree that is gone forth to the destroying Angel ? When the cheerful and ready obedience of love is looked for, from the altar of a heart, burning with the sweet incense of a devoted zeal to him who "gave himself for us, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God;" we either reluctantly yield a cold and unwilling obedience-a sacrifice unacceptable in his sight; or we altogether at nought his chastisement, and will none of his reproof." want the bright unclouded faith of the Shunamite; who when called on to participate in the sufferings of humanity, in the bitterness of her hour of trial could say, "It is well." We want the confiding faith that upheld the patriarch in that dark dread moment of des

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C.

ON SERMONS, LECTURES, AND SERVANTS.

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It is not, however, my desire to re-open this question, but to refer to one or two other points to which I conceive the ministers of Christ will do well to attend. In almost every congregation, there are many persons who regularly attend during one part of the day, but from some cause or other are absent from either the morning or evening service. I am myself accustomed to attend with my children, &c. in the morning, but am usually confined at home in the evening. Now it often happens that our faithful and beloved minister divides his discourse into two parts, and delivers one in the morning and the other in the evening. I thus frequently hear the doctrinal aud explanatory part of his address, but lose entirely the hortatory and practical application. I know it may be said, that hearers ought to attend both discourses; but this is in my case, and that of many others, often impracticable; and I cannot therefore but wish that when the discourse is too long to be delivered at once, it should be preached on two successive mornings or evenings, when very nearly the same congregation might be presumed to attend.

I have indeed somewhere read of preaching with perpetual application; and I own I have often wished that something of this plan were generally adopted. Each

head of a discourse would in many cases, admit of such application and I have sometimes attempted it myself to those members of my family who were precluded with me from hearing our minister's improvement.

I cannot but think, Mr. Editor, that week-day evening lectures are valuable means of grace; and I know many tradesmen, mechanics, and servants, who regularly attend

these lectures to their no small comfort and edification; nor would I drop the least hint which should at all abridge their privilege. But I have sometimes wished that something more could be done for the aged, and the infirm, and for those who are so engaged that they cannot with propriety go out in the evening. Where only one week-day lecture is established in a town, it appears to me most desirable that it should take place in the evening; but where the number of churches and clergy is such, that two or three week-day lectures are delivered, I cannot but feel that one should be in the morning. This appears to me, especially important, when lectures are instituted preparatory to the administration of the Lord's supper. In the town where I reside, there are three or four ladies' boarding schools, at each of which there are several young females who might reasonably be expected to attend at the Lord's table, and several others whose attention might be profitably called to this important ordinance. Now they can scarcely attend an evening service, though very probably they could spare an hour or two on one morning in a month, were a church specially opened for such a service. The longer I live, the more I feel the importance of young persons being early induced to attend at the Lord's table; and I

would therefore humbly suggest to ministers and parents, the duty of endeavouring to render confirmation more directly the means of an immediate introduction to the Lord's supper. Too many seem to think that when confirmed they may wait awhile; but to me it seems that the very profession made in confirmation implies that all who are confirmed should become immediate and stated communicants.

Allow me one remark more; I cannot but wish that more attention was paid to domestic or other servants in the stated ministrations of the sanctuary. Many employers take little care of their domestics. They are often allowed to wander about as though no man cared for

their souls. In the metropolis and in large towns generally, the heads of the family usually attend on some able preacher morning and evening, while the poor servants are often left to the instruction of young and very inexperienced ministers. Whereas I cannot but feel that to attract the attention and communicate instruction to the poor and the young, requires a very high degree of talent and much experience. Where two or more servants are kept, one at least might attend the rector's preaching, as well as the curate's, and might thus be enabled to make a rapid proficiency in the divine life. I remain yours respectfully,

N.

THE ORIGIN OF PROTESTANT MISSIONS.

SIR,-It has frequently been said, that the Society for Propagating the Gospel among the heathen, was our earliest missionary institution. The following statement, however, extracted from a charge of Dr. Dealtry, Chancellor of Winchester, shews that the statement is not entirely correct:

At the period of the Reformation, the great men, who, by God's blessing, purified the Church of England from those errors and superstitions with which, in the course of ages, Popery had but too effectually corrupted it, had no leisure to think of foreign missions, nor any means to conduct them. The establishment of the truth, and the free use of the gospel in this country, were not accomplished without calling for all their energies, and, in many cases, not without the sacrifice of their lives.

Neither can we be much surprised if we hear little, for a considerable time, of any general efforts for the conversion of hea

thens. The earliest mention which I find of a combined movement of

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this description is the Ordinance of Parliament,' dated July 18, 1649.' By this Ordinance, a 'corporation was to be created in perpetual succession, to be called by the name of the President and Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in New England.' The parliament had, doubtless, been stimulated in this work of Christion benevolence, by the exemplary labours and success of John Eliot, commonly called the apostle of the Indians, and of his pious coadjutors. With the sums thus collected, lands were purchased to the value of between five and six hundred pounds a year, and settled in a corporation of citizens of London. Upon the restoration of Charles the Second, the corporation to which this estate was intrusted, being dead in law, Colonel Bedingfield, a Papist, who had sold an estate of £322. per annum, which had been settled for the uses of it, re-possessed himself of it,

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WHO is she in lonely state
Journeys forth from Tirzah's gate
Backward with a tearful eye,
Turning oft so wistfully

O'er those lofty towers and fanes
Where the sinful Monarch reigns?
List not, 'tis a mother's care
Weeping for a loved one there.
Yet that plain and simple guise
Every stately step belies,
Form erect, and lofty brow,
Worn with anxious sorrow now
Tell, no simple peasant she.
(Such perchance she fain would be.)
Daughter of a royal line
Israel's haughty Monarch thine-
Thine that holy, happy, child,
Ne'er with father's crimes defiled.
Vain thy task for him to roam
Hastening to his heavenly home.
Forth she wends in anxious haste :
Burning heat, nor sandy waste,
Long and dreary tho' the way,
Nought that mother's love can stay,

One sadden'd dream her thoughts employ-
But one alone-her dying boy.

Yes, that deep and bursting sigh,
Pallid cheek, and tearful eye,
Tell a tale of deepest woe,
Such as mothers only know;
Sorrow, shame, and fervid care,
Each in turn that bosom share-
Oh, beneath that bosom's swell
Who the bitter thoughts can tell!
Slow and sad the live-long day,
Journeys she the weary way;
Heavily have pass'd its hours,
Now, 'neath hallow'd Shiloh's towers,
Onward hastes she to the cells
Where the aged prophet dwells,
Hoping, fearing, yet to know

What his sacred power may shew;
Hoping, that the feigned guise
May escape the prophet's eyes;
Fearing, lest the base deceit
May its retribution meet.
"Enter: why with feigned state
Dost thou at the portal wait?
Enter, daughter, well I know
Jeroboam's wife are thou-
Heavy tidings bring I thee,
Ruin, death, and infamy.

Go and tell thy haughty Lord
This the God of Israel's word-,
For, as from the people's train,
I have raised thee to reign-
Took thy base reproach away,

Made thee prince, and gave thee sway-
From good David's progeny

Rent the throne and gave it thee;
Yet hast not, as erst he sought

My commands, with humble thought;
But hast sinned more and more,
Deeper far than aught before,
Didst my jealous laws contemn,
Made thee Gods and worshipp'd them,
Angering me from day to day
With thy proud idolatry.
Therefore evil bring I thee,
Evil that thyself shalt see;
All of thy rebellious house,
Son and daughter, sire and spouse,
Rent thy name, thy race, thy throne,
Son and sire, till all are gone.
Now arise, to Tirzah haste,
Rest within the city's gates;
When thy weary feet shall hie,
Then that happy child shall die.
Deeply shall the nation mourn
O'er that lov'd and cherish'd one,
Buried 'midst a people's gloom,
Sorrowing for his early tomb;
For alone of all thy race
His shall be a grave of peace,
As of all thy house alone

Some good thing his heart hath shewn ;

Pure in thought, his love was given
Earliest to the King of Heaven.'
List it not her grief to see
That mother's silent agony;
Wake not now the mournful theme,
How from her awaken'd dream,
Wild, 'disorder'd',1 and alone,
Heartless, hopeless, she is gone.

Ages silently have roll'd,
Waste is now that city old;
Gone each race and lineage fair-
Now, the wild winds moaning there,
Whisper this the wither'd bough,
Where that haughty monarch now?
None can tell, no marble bears
The record of forgotten years;
What his fearful doom may be,
None may know the mystery.
Yet, on each column'd year of time,
Is chronicled his fearful crime,
By whose deadly thoughts within
Israel was made to sin.

God of my youth, to me impart
The love that rul'd Abijah's heart-
A pure, unmix'd, unearthly love;
That so my last dark hour may prove,
When life and all to thee were given,
That saints of earth are saints of heaven.

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LORD! ARE THERE FEW THAT BE SAVED?

THE answer of our Lord to this inquiry, clearly evinces that he regarded it as a curious and speculative question; and every repetition of it may well lead us to contemplate the reply," Strive to enter in at the strait-gate, for many I say unto you shall seek to enter in and shall not be able." Why will they not be able? Doubtless because they neglect their present opportunity; they sin away their day of grace; they refuse to come until the master of the house has arisen and shut to the door. Ah, what reason have we to fear, lest multitudes will thus be condemned? Of the vast company of people called Christians, says Bishop

Beveridge, how few are there that live as becometh the gospel of Christ; how many refuse or neglect to worship and serve him upon his own day; how many never receive the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper! How many are the proud, the passionate, the intemperate, the profane; in comparison of the humble, and meek, and sober, and holy. But what am I? Am I penitent, believing, obedient? Lord help me to seek thee with full purpose of heart, now while thou art to be found, that I may escape the awful condemnation which cometh on the world of the ungodly.

CLEMENS.

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