obtrusive, he was, nevertheless, very active, steady, and persevering. He was careful to make the best use of his time. In mere neighbourly conversation he took no particular pleasure, but appeared as though he felt he had a business to mind, and had time for nothing else; manifesting at the same time a warm-hearted affection for his friends, genuine sympathy with all who were suffering; and, in a word, entire freedom from either a self-sufficient complacency, or a haughty repulsive moroseness. While thus engaged in diligent attention to the two great divisions of active duty, in reference to things temporal and spiritual, he still preserved his strong love for devotional retirement. His father says, "When at labour in the land, I believe the trees of a neighbouring wood have witnessed many a fervent prayer to God, as well as the walls of a barn which I occupy." Since his death, in removing some hay from the place last-mentioned, a couple of books were found, which he had left there just at his sickness; a circumstance which very powerfully affected the minds of his bereaved parents, who observed on it, that "their feelings were such as they could not describe, when they recollected that the feet which bore them there had ceased to move, and the hands which had turned over these pages were now cold in the grave." For some time the house adjoining his father's was unoccupied the opportunity of a more complete retirement (as he supposed) he eagerly embraced, and spent many evenings in a chamber in the back part of it. Such, however, was the earnestness of his spirit, that his occupation was generally known when he little suspected it.

In the earlier months of 1830, his mind was strongly exercised on the subject of preaching. His father saw that something appeared to be almost preying on his spirits, and endeavoured to ascertain the cause; asking him, first, if he were unwell; and next, what was the state of the Sunday-school prayer-meetings; to which inquiries he gave satisfactory answers. It was then intimated to him that he was not to be surprised if the enemy of his soul should "thrust sore at him;" but to this he replied, with much simplicity, "I think, father, that my mind is so given up to God and good things, that Satan has very little chance with me." A year or two before, it had been observed that the work of grace on his own soul was evidently extending and deepening; and young as he was in years, God had mercifully established him in grace. The exercises of which I have just spoken, appeared subsequently to have arisen from his own sense of the greatness of the work, to which he nevertheless felt that his whole soul was drawn. He at once longed after it, and shrunk back from it, deeply feeling his own insufficiency; the natural modesty of his temper, heightened by his true Christian humility, prevented him from making known his impressions to the Superintendent of the Circuit, from whom he would have received the most affectionate and useful counsel. That in this he erred, it is now easy to perceive; but this error was on the safer side, and is in all cases to be preferred to the opposite extreme of forwardness, border

rance, and very small humility. Soon after the appointment of Mr. Hannah to the Circuit in 1830, he overcame his reluctance, and communicating his feelings to him, (with whom I am glad thus to associate myself, by calling him my old and esteemed friend,) he received such advice and encouragement as he needed, obtained from him a note of permission to preach, and was afterwards admitted on the plan, raising in the minds of the excellent Local Preachers with whom he thus became connected, very pleasing expectations of his future usefulness in the church and world. It was mysteriously, but we are sure wisely and mercifully, appointed otherwise. On the 10th of October, 1831, after having attended to his appointments on the preceding Sabbath, he was taken very unwell, and so continued for a fortnight, when some favourable change in the symptoms excited anew the hope that he would yet be spared to his family and friends. On the 16th of November, however, the disorder (principally seated in the head) returned with increased violence, and hope began to yield to fear. From the nature of his complaint, he was not able to read without great pain, and was indisposed for much conversation. His father, adverting to the 327th hymn of our large Hymn-Book, William took up the book, opened at the hymn, read the first two verses, but was, through the strength of his feelings, unable to proceed. He closed the book, tears gushing from his eyes. The same evening, to a young friend who visited him, and was conversing on the necessity of being fully prepared for death, he observed, that "he blessed God, who had for Christ's sake pardoned his sins, and cleansed him from all unrighteousness;" adding,⚫ "that he felt quite willing to depart, should it please God to call him." So the next day, to a class-mate, who had expressed his fears that the sickness was unto death, he stated himself as being "quite resigned to the will of God, whatever it might be." On the 19th, a sort of apoplectic seizure considerably impaired his power of speech. His mother was unable to conceal her grief from him, on observing which he wept, and begged her not to be unhappy on his account. It was now evident that the disorder was making rapid progress: he suffered much, but not a murmuring expression fell from his lips. It was discovered on the Wednesday, that he had lost the use of his right side; but, on being asked the state of his mind, he replied, very emphatically, "Happy;" and his sufferings being alluded to, he interrupted the speaker, and with much fervour said, "I shall row through." Thus he continued through that and the succeeding day, suffering much, able to articulate very little, and occasionally manifesting a slight wandering. On the Thursday evening, he said, very distinctly, "Mother, without holiness no man shall see the Lord;" and soon after, "Come, Lord Jesus!" He made a few attempts to speak after this, but nothing could be understood. disease had now reached such a height, that he was unable to move any part but his left arm: this, however, he frequently elevated. On Friday, opening his eyes, he looked earnestly at his mother, with a smile of peculiar sweetness overspreading his countenance, which observing, she went to him and said, "William, I think thou

The

lying in a profound sleep, and performed all my actions in a dream, and as if I had now for the first time been awakened; I was perfectly convinced that all the world, with all its pleasures, could not produce in the human heart such delicious joys as I experienced; and I saw distinctly that after such foretastes of God's grace and goodness, the world with its charms would have little power to allure me." On the Wednesday following he preached upon the text which he had chosen with great inward satisfaction. From this hour Francke dated his conversion; and in this hour, as he himself declared in his last prayer, forty years afterwards, God opened in his heart a spring from which exhaustless streams of joy and consolation had been flowing ever since.-Biblical Repertory.

ON PRAYER.

PRAYER, because the most easy of duties, seems with many the hardest to be performed. It costs them so little pains, they think they may as well let it alone. Whereas, it is the supreme, the great mother duty: all other duties and virtues are its progeny; are brought forth, nursed, nourished, and sustained by it. Devotion is the sole asylum of human frailty, and sole support of human perfection; it is the golden chain of union between heaven and earth, and keeps open the blessed communication. He that has never prayed can never conceive, and he who has prayed as he ought can never forget, how much is to be gained by prayer.-Dr. Young.

DRUNKENNESS.

Of all others, drunkenness is the vice that does the greatest dishonour to human nature. We think it argument enough against other vices, that they debase us to brutes: but this does more; it puts us vastly beneath them. A swine wallowing in the mire is not half so hateful, nay, not half so beastly a sight, as a drunkard in his own excesses.

slaves, drunk, to the sight of the ingenuous youth, to deter them from so shameful a vice, by so sad an example. And no doubt, nothing could strike the mind with abhorrence of such a brutal practice, like such a sight. Still, it was too great an indignity to put even upon the meanest of human slaves. Nay, it was, beyond all question, an indignity even upon a brute of a better species; and if so, how scandalous must this practice be, how shameful beyond all reproach, in men! in creatures that value themselves upon the use of reason, and the advantages of religion !-Delany.

THE SPRING-HAAS.

SPEAKING of the interior of South-Africa, Mr. Burchell says, a Hottentot brought me a spring-haas (Pedetes Caffer) which he had shot. Great complaints were made against these animals for the mischief they do the corn, eating it both green and ripe. It was of nearly the size of a hare, with long soft fur of a sandy colour, a long tail, black at the extremity, and hinder legs of twice the length of the fore pair. Its very remarkable gait is occasioned by this disproportion of legs; as it moves, at least when in haste, only by long leaps, or bounds. From this circumstance, and its resemblance in several particulars to a hare, it has obtained from the Dutch colonists a name signifying leaping hare. Its ears, however, have more resemblance to those of a cat than of a hare; but the two long front teeth in each jaw, and its leaping motion, plainly prove its close affinity to the latter. Its fore feet, which are little more than two inches in length, are provided with very long hooked claws, better adapted for holding its food, than for burrowing in the ground; and have every appearance of not being used for the latter purpose. On the contrary, the hinder legs, which are nearly ten inches long, are furnished with extraordinarily large and strong nails, which might almost be called hoofs; and which seem to be used only for scratching away the earth, for which office they are well suited; although such an application of the hind legs is a singular anomaly,

lying in a profound sleep, and performed all my actions in a dream, and as if I had now for the first time been awakened; I was perfectly convinced that all the world, with all its pleasures, could not produce in the human heart such delicious joys as I experienced; and I saw distinctly that after such foretastes of God's grace and goodness, the world with its charms would have little power to allure me." On the Wednesday following he preached upon the text which he had chosen with great inward satisfaction. From this hour Francke dated his conversion; and in this hour, as he himself declared in his last prayer, forty years afterwards, God opened in his heart a spring from which exhaustless streams of joy and consolation had been flowing ever since.-Biblical Repertory.

ON PRAYER.

PRAYER, because the most easy of duties, seems with many the hardest to be performed. It costs them so little pains, they think they may as well let it alone. Whereas, it is the supreme, the great mother duty: all other duties and virtues are its progeny; are brought forth, nursed, nourished, and sustained by it. Devotion is the sole asylum of human frailty, and sole support of human perfection; it is the golden chain of union between heaven and earth, and keeps open the blessed communication. He that has never prayed can never conceive, and he who has prayed as he ought can never forget, how much is to be gained by prayer.-Dr. Young.

DRUNKENNESS.

Of all others, drunkenness is the vice that does the greatest dishonour to human nature. We think it argument enough against other vices, that they debase us to brutes: but this does more; it puts us vastly beneath them. A swine wallowing in the mire is not half so hateful, nay, not half so beastly a sight, as a drunkard in his own excesses.