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exclaimed, "O mother, it is two years on Sabbath, according to the day of the week, since John died! If it was the Lord's will, I should like to go on that day." His wish was not gratified in his dying on the Sabbath, but it was gratified in his dying on the anniversary of his brother's death. The afternoon before he died, being in great pain, I asked him what state his mind was in. He replied in a whisper," Comfortable; I am resting on Christ, and he supports me." From this time his sufferings were acute, and continued so till about nine o'clock. At half-past seven he said, "Jesus, be with me; help me; hear my prayer; hear the prayers of all this night." One of our members being present, and hearing him utter these words, went to his bedside, and reminded him the members' prayer meeting was just about to be held, and inquired if he would like them to pray for him; his countenance immediately brightened up,

and he appeared 'eager to express his desire that they would do so. At intervals, during the night, he manifested concern for the trouble he was giving those who were sitting up with him; sometimes he prayed, and at other times he exclaimed, "Praise God; praise the Lord; bless Jesus for pain." Those who sat watching him said his prayers partook more of praise than prayer. He fell asleep in Jesus at half. past seven in the morning, 4th March, 1851. He was a fine strong young man, six feet high, and bid fair to live long. Does not the death of these two young men say to every young person, "Be ye also ready, for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of Man cometh?" And should not every young person, while in health, give heed to the counsel of the righteous, especially the dying? For all are not privileged, like these brothers, with instruction and space for repentance on a death-bed.

Lessons by the Way; or, Things to Think On.

"LIVE FOR SOMETHING." (See WITNESS for March, page 107.) "LIVE for something,"-make the resolve; Then lift your heart to God,

To aid you with his Spirit's help,

To spread his Name abroad.

"Live for something,"-young children claim Your kind, instructive care;

Then let the needy Sabbath-school
Your early labours share.

"Live for something,"-Oh! take the Tract, Or blessed Book of heaven;

Go forth, and scatter all around
The best, the holy leaven.

"Live for something,"-the widow cheer,
And feed the orphan band;
The sick, forlorn, and destitute,
Take gently by the hand.

"Live for something,"-how Jesus lived,
And scattered blessings round!
Where'er he went, where'er he dwelt,
Poor sufferers comfort found.

"Live for something,"-have you been blest With mercy from above?

Then try to bring a thousand more
To taste redeeming love.
April, 1851.

THE DYING CHRISTIAN.

E. M.

Dost thou see that setting sun? How glorious a sight to behold! Slowly, calmly, and majestically he sinks to rest. Now the clouds are burnished with living sapphires! What a mild yet heavenly radiance marks his glorious pathway!

"And though his noonday brightness fades away, His dying beauty far exceeds the day!"

There is no loud acclaim nor pomp of heraldry to denote his exit, as when monarchs leave their thrones. All is quiet richness and superlative loveliness. What scene on earth more fair, more grand, more beautiful?

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is a glorious light all, all around! shadow is fled and gone, and the kindling glories of the heavenly world now illuminate his pathway. What ecstatic joy now kindles in his bosom, and what enrapturing visions his eyes behold! He sees the light of eternity mingling with time, and feels its joys as a sweet prelude of heaven! His sun sets here, but rises in glory his last hours are his most luminous ones, and his death is but the beginning of that illustrious life which shall have no end! How truly glorious and pleasing are the last hours of the dying good man! Aye, see now how "He views his home, and smiling sinks to rest, And gains at once a mansion with the blest!" RESOLUTIONS FORMED UNDER ANGRY FEELINGS.

Never do anything that can denote an angry mind; for, although everybody is born with a certain degree of passion, and, from untoward circumstances, will sometimes feel its operation, and be what they call "out of humour," yet a sensible man or woman will never allow it to be discovered. Check and restrain it; never make any determination until you find it has entirely subsided; and always avoid saying anything that you would wish unsaid.--Collingwood.

A HINT FOR THE SEA-SIDE.

The inhabitants of, and the visitors to, many of our sea side watering-places, are often exposed to annoyance, and sometimes to injury, from the discharge of the town-drainage upon the much-frequented sea-beach. Cast-iron mains are commonly used at these places to conduct the soilage from the sewers and drains a little way out from the land, and these are commonly allowed to terminate at half tide level, or thereabouts, so that they are for half their time discharging noisome and pestilential streams under the nostrils of those who betake themselves to the beach for air and exercise. But ladies with books or with needle-work, and nurses with their charges, are apt to resort to the propped-up and clean-looking round iron pipes for the convenience they offer as seats; and as they sit, they, and the children who play

about them, inhale the poisonous gases which the soilage of the town emits, and many a family returns inland from the sea-side fevered with the stench from the sea-beach, rather than invigorated with the sea-breezes. A few years ago, the writer of these lines brought his family home to London, after a six weeks' residence at a sea-side watering-place, with all his children ill, and one of them seriously so, with fever, which resulted in the measles, brought on, he then believed, and still considers, by the cause alluded to. There were some of the town sewer pipes running out to half-tide distance in the most accessible part of the beach, and upon some of these his children's nurse would seat herself, day by day, with the baby on her lap, and with the elder children playing about her, and with the children of other families similarly exposed to the same danger.-Hosking's Healthy Houses, &c.

MILITARY TACTICS AMONG BIRDS. Some kinds of beasts, as the wild horse, buffalo, and hog, are known to combine against a common enemy for self-defence. I have seen two or three birds attack a hawk or eagle, to drive him away from the vicinity of their nest or chosen abode. But one exploit of this nature remains to be recorded.

I was crossing a wide plain, when I saw a dense flock of birds, some thousands in number, migrating to the north. Soon they were in great agitation, wheeling and circling with much velocity. The precise cause of their perturbation I did not at the first instant perceive. They opened, to form a hollow square, or rather globe, and then closed up with a frightful clatter of wings. They suddenly spread out in every direction, when I saw a hawk among them, endeavouring to catch one for his supper. Again they went through the same evolution, forming a hollow globe, with the hawk in the centre, and closing up with a still more frightful crash. The hawk, being fully defeated, darted away towards a distant hill, evidently happy to make his escape.

HINTS FOR IMPROVEMENT. Charles Butler, a distinguished English lawyer and a fine scholar, ascribes his saving of time to these rules: Very early rising; a systematic division of his time; absence from all company, and from all diversions not likely to amuse him highly; abstinence from reading, writing, or even thinking on modern party politics; and, above all, never permitting a bit or scrap of time to be unemployed.

His literary acquisitions are principally owing to the rigid observance of four rules:

1. To direct his attention to one literary topic only at a time.

2. To read the best book upon it, consulting others as little as possible.

3. Where the subject was contentious, to read the best book on each side.

4. To find out men of information, and when in their society, to listen, not to talk.

MILTON AN EARLY RISER. This famous poet rose at four in the morning during the summer months, and at five in the winter. He studied in the forenoon, exercised in the afternoon, and in the evening sang, accompanying himself on some instrument. He had a fine voice, played well on several instru

ments, and understood harmony; and judging from his "Paradise Lost," he must have been passionately fond of music and the perfume of flowers. He usually retired at nine, and composed awhile in bed.

A TRUE LAWYER.

Alexander Hamilton was once applied to as counsel by a man having the guardianship of several orphans, who would, on coming of age, succeed to a large and valuable estate, of which there was a material defect in the title-deeds known only to their guardian, who wanted to get the estate vested in himself. Hamilton noted down the faithless executor's statement and then said to him, "Settle with these unhappy infants honourably to the last cent, or I will hunt you from your skin like a hare." The advice was strictly followed, and the man who gave it was an ornament to the bar, and to the age he lived in.

ANECDOTE.

An anecdote, affording a good hint to young ministers, is told of Dr. Dwight, to this effect :A young clergyman called upon him for advice as to the best method of treating a very difficult and abstruse point of mental philosophy, upon which he was preparing a sermon. "I cannot give you any information on the subject," the doctor replied; "I am not familiar with such topics; I leave them for young men."

OPIUM, RUM, AND TOBACCO.

A letter from Rev. Mr. Bridgman, of Canton, China, has just been received by the American Board of Missions, in which he states that "there is a great deal of distress in Canton, from famine and the use of opium. Of this drug," he says, "there are coming to China, this year, 70,000 chests, of 130 lbs. each, which will be sold to the people at a sum-total of thirty-five millions of dollars. Thousands, nay, tens of thousands, are falling by this poison. Almost every day, as I pass through the city, I see its victims dying or dead in the streets." This is a terrible picture, even for a heathen land; yet, if the truth must be told, it is not so bad as Christian rum-drinking, tobacco-chewing and smoking! The three hundred and fifty millions of Chinese only pay one-third the sum for opium which twenty-three millions of Americans pay for intoxicating drinks and tobacco. -Cataract.

ONE GOOD WORD EVERY DAY.

A good word is one which does some one good; it may be a word of teaching, a word of warning, or a word of comfort; always a word of truth and love. Speak one such word at least every day.

Our days are few at best; certainly no one of them should pass without an opening of the lips for God. Who can tell the effects of a single sentence, uttered with faith and prayer? It may reach to thousands; it may reach into eternity. As wave moves wave in the ocean, so one word of grace may reach from mind to mind, and thus be producing effects long after the tongue which uttered it shall have turned to dust. Never despair of being useful so long as you have the gift of speech. If you can say nothing else, you may at least repeat come blessed text of Scripture; this may save a soul. That child, that servant, that visitor, that

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stranger, may praise God in heaven for the truth heard from you. "Let your speech be seasoned with salt." Keep the heart full, and you will have something to say. Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh." Every day the ungodly are uttering fatal words, kindling bad passions, and destroying souls. Every day, therefore, all Christians should be saying something for Christ. Many a time, through grace, a single saying has been blessed to the awakening of a soul. Pray for help to devise and utter such things every day of your life, as may lead those who hear you to faith in your Redeemer.

INTEMPERANCE IN NEW YORK.

In the year 1849, at least 40,000 persons were arrested for intoxication, or for crimes committed while in a state of intoxication. Eight out of ten of all the persons committed to prison in Albany last year, were the victims of this vice. Nine out of ten in Erie county, of all the crimes, were the fruit of intemperance. Similar reports are made by many counties. The State prisons speak to the same effect; and this state of things is growing worse. So of pauperism. Hence the taxes. Three-fourths of the permanent paupers were victims of intemperance. To support these last year, cost 369,400 dollars. Besides these were 63,764 temporary paupers, two-thirds the victims of drunkenness, whose support was 235,993 dollars, making more than 600,000 dollars, which the sale of liquors cost the State in a single year. Then comes the cost of criminal proceedings resulting from the use of intoxicating drinks. Almost the entire police system in all our cities is chargeable to intemperance. The salary of the police officers in the city of New York, is more than 600,000 dollars. Yet threefourths of this is for intemperance alone. Take away intemperance, and one-fourth of all the men would watch the city better than all do

now.

[It is strange that such should be the state of things, after all the world has heard of the power of temperance in New York.]-ED.

PROPERTY AND INCOME-TAX.

A parliamentary return, issued at the instance of Mr. Moffatt, contains the following particulars with reference to the operation of the income-tax, which the Chancellor of the Exchequer intends to re-impose "for a limited period." The total number of persons who paid incometax in the year ending the 5th of April, 1849, was 144,626, and the gross amount received was £5,605,532. The receipts are thus made up: Schedule A, £2,656,796; Schedule B, £320,098; Schedule C, £750,781; Schedule D, £1,529,398; Schedule E, £848,459. The total income on which the duty was charged was upwards of £54,000,000. The amounts received from the various classes of income were as follows:-Under £150 a year, from 35,799 persons, £77,998; £150, and under £200, from 38,902 persons, £178,654; £200, and under £300, from 28,274 persons, £187,776; £300, and under £400, from 14,162 persons, £131,971; £400, and under £500, from 6,896 persons, £84,022; £500, and under £600, from 5,010 persons, £75,267; £600, and under £700, from 2,878 persons, £51,770; £700, and under £800, from 1,852 persons, £39,322; £800, and under £900, from 1,549 persons, £36,998; £900, and

under £1,000, from 775 persons, £21,625; £1,000, and under £2,000, from 4,659 persons, £175,390; £2,000, and under £3,000, from 1,286 persons, £86,248; £3,000, and under £4,000, from 622 persons, £60,399; £4,000, and under £5,000, from 327 persons, £41,387; £5,000, and under £10,000, from 617 persons, £118,974; £10,000, and under £20,000, from 215 persons, £85,867; 20,000, and under £50,000, from 96 persons, £80,511; £50,000 and upwards, from 19 persons, £44,983. THE EFFECTS OF MASKING.—' -TWO CHILDREN TERRIFIED TO DEATH.

About three weeks since two children, belonging to a man named Brown, formerly a waiter at the Globe Hotel, Exmouth, the one four and the other a few years older, were sent by the mother, who keeps a mangle, after a basket of clothes, and were met on the way by some boys, one of whom had on a most hideous-looking mask. The boy, seeing the children frightened, ran after them, repeating some gibberish, which frightened them more, and having followed them until they turned the corner of the street, transferred the mask to another boy, who managed again to come in contact with the poor children, who returned home instantly, when their parents, seeing them so pale and trembling very much, inquired what the matter was, which they explained as well as they could. The shock, however, was so great that they never recovered it; their health declined daily. The one died three weeks after, and the other died on Wednesday last. Each of them in his illness often exclaimed, "He is coming." "I see him." "There he is," with other like expressions.-Exeter Gazette.

FORMS OF PRAYER.

It is recorded of the celebrated Archbishop Secker, whose learning, talents, and warm attachment to the formularies of his church have been exceeded by few, that when he was confined to his bed by a broken limb, which ultimately terminated his life, he was visited at Lambeth by the Rev. Mr. Talbot, a presbyter of his own church, who was remarkably pious, and who had long been on terms of great intimacy with him. The dying prelate said to him in the course of the interview-" Talbot, you will pray with me;" and when he saw Mr. Talbot rising to look for a Prayer-book, he added-"That is not what I want now; kneel down by me, and pray for me in the way I know you are used to do." The pious man did as he was requested. He poured out his heart in feeling and affectionate intercession for his illustrious friend, and took leave of him for the last time.

BEAUTIFUL IGNORANCE.

A gentleman was once riding in Scotland by a bleaching-ground, where a poor woman was at work watering her webs of linen cloth. He asked her where she went to church, what she had heard on the preceding day, and how much she remembered, She could not even tell the text of the last sermon.

"And what good can the preaching do you," said he, "if you forget it all?”

"if you

"Ah, sir," replied the poor woman, look at this web on the grass, you will see that as fast as ever I put the water on it the sun dries it all up; and yet, sir, I see it gets whiter and whiter."

Popery.

JOHN BERGAN-A BLIND BOY.

MESSRS. HARDY AND SONS, of Dublin, have just published a third edition of the "History of John Bergan, the Blind Boy, a native of Ireland, a Convert from Popery, as related by himself; with a Memoir, by the Rev. T. H. C. Finny, Chaplain of the Episcopal Free Church, Cork." John Bergan is entitled to a place of no inconsiderable prominence in the list of juvenile biography; but when we add the fact of his being blind, and a convert from Popery, two elements are introduced which greatly heighten the interest, and diversify the character of the narrative. The main facts of John's history, as set forth by Mr. Finny, may soon be told. John was not only blind in the outer, but in the inner eye, with the full average of bigotry found amongst Roman Catholic families. He was, withal, a reprobate lad. By some means he found his way to the Richmond Blind Asylum, where he met with some companions that had renounced Popery, and whom he sincerely hated for the change. But with all his bitterness, there was an element of generosity in his nature, and he soon came to be pleased by the singing of hymns, and the reading of the Scriptures. Like others, he now began to commit portions of the Word of God to memory; but at the outset he was an exceedingly slow learner. It was the work of whole evenings to communicate to him one or two verses. Even after hearing them recited hundreds of times, he could not retain them. The experiment was a curious one, and such as to afford encouragement to people similarly circumstanced, and, indeed, to all young people, whether blind or seeing. His mind, once disciplined to attend, he drank from the fountain of Inspiration in copious draughts. His biographer tells us, that "whole Gospels, most of the Epistles, many of the Psalms,_together with various chapters in the Prophets, were carefully stored up in his retentive memory, while other parts of Holy Scripture were not neglected." So thoroughly did this interesting lad master the Word of God, that, in a Scripture examination, he became a very formidable competitor. At one of the annual catechetical examinations of the children sent from all the schools in the city of Dublin, to be examined by the late

Archbishop Magee, John took the lead, to the astonishment of the assembly, and not less of the Rev. Examiner, his Grace of Dublin, who was constrained to remark on the blind lad, "He must have been indebted to the kindness of some friends for his success." These words put the matter rather coldly, for the kindness must have been exceedingly great, which could so recite to him the Word of God till he so largely imprinted it upon his memory; but the grateful youth supplied additional warmth to the matter. Fired with grateful enthusiasm, in the midst of all, he cried out, "Oh, yes!-she is here!-it is hers!-it is not mine at all!" and wheeling round, and holding up the Bible with extended arm, he forced his way through the assembled ladies and gentlemen, in the direction where he thought his kind monitress would be, crying out "Where is she? where is she?" The delighted lady, overwhelmed by this exhibition of heartfelt gratitude, made no signal, but escaped as quickly as possible. John was not to be outdone by her modesty. He hastened to her residence, and urged her acceptance of the Bible. She refused; but she consented to keep it for him till he should leave the Institution; and John soon found a use for his Bible. John took a deep interest in all Bible Society and Missionary success, and in everything which had for its object the diffusion of the knowledge of salvation; and, accordingly, he adopted means-for "where there's a will, there's a way," to the humblest and poorest-to establish a Sunday-school in his native town, Rathangan; and having established the school, he presented his Bible for its future use.

But

The zeal of this lad was great. The time that other children devoted to innocent play and healthful recreation, John devoted to the committing of hymns and Scripture to memory, whenever he could find any one kind enough to read to him; and it was delightful to see with what joy he received fresh supplies of Divine truth. The lady, to whom he owed so much, appears to have been delighted beyond measure at his spiritual progress, and the obvious tokens that, while she taught, God likewise was teaching. No weather could prevent him from repairing to her residence, to

receive instruction. He made nothing of wind and rain; and the story is told of the dreadful injury he once received while feeling his way along the streets, by striking his eye against the end of an iron bar a man was carrying upon his shoulder. The pain, of course, agonizing, and the stroke might have hazarded his life. But, notwithstanding the suffering to which it subjected him, so soon as the stun of the blow somewhat abated, he pressed on for his draught from the well of eternal life! One prin

was

cipal feature of John's character was his love, and his desires and efforts to promote union among all around him. It is a curious fact, that he was much addicted to epistolary communication. He composed letters in his memory, and, when he could get a friend to hear him, he would speak them off to the transcriber; putting one in interesting remembrance of the practice of Dr.Johnson, when residing with his friend, Dr. Adams, at Ashburnham, where he was known to compose his "Ramblers" mentally, and then had them transcribed for the printers in London. It is stated, upon those occasions when the leviathan was reposing in an old arm-chair, that when he was thought to be praying, it turned out that he was grinding off an article for the "Rambler." This boy's letters, though not always grammatical, were marked by beauty and simplicity, and full of interest. When he had attracted much notice to him, on the part of pious philanthropists, he was overtaken by delicacy of health, and became worse and worse.

The account which is given of this, in the narrative, is singularly tender. At the same time, his affectionate monitress was overtaken by the seeds of a malady which cut short her career, and, in connection with her, his own race received acceleration. While she was setting out for the North of Ireland, poor John came to the coach-office, that he might give her his last expression of gratitude prior to departing, and hear the coach start that was to carry from him his best benefactor; and there he became exposed to rain, which fastened on him the cold that more speedily hastened him into the world of spirits. This lady, his teacher, again and again brought to the verge of the grave, was still sent back to do more work for her Lord and Master. Within five months from the date of their parting, John rested from his labours-dying in the faith and the hope of the truth which had been so suc

cessfully taught him. She did not very long survive; but, in the twenty-seventh year of her age, followed the poor boy into the world of spirits and of saints.

Thus much by way of memorial. We have next to speak of John's history, written by himself, which is characteristic; full of Irish vivacity, and beautiful simplicity-altogether very captivating. We have already said he was very wicked; and with deep humility he confesses it at the outset of his statement. John commenced his career a Catholic, and from time to time confessed his sins to the priest; at length he was confirmed, and received the customary ticket. The boy says. "The day before confirmation, I was obliged to make a general confession to Priest D, who told me I was as free from sin then as ever in my life; but, when kneeling at the altar, I thought the bishop was not telling truth, knowing that I was then in a very different state, and I returned home, much troubled.' The poor lad's heart was burdened, and his impressions were deepened by a circumstance like that which attended the conversion of Luther: when conversing with a lad of the Institution, he suddenly dropped down dead, which most deeply affected him. He hastened to his room, and, kneeling down in a corner, prayed that God would spare him, and he promised to become a changed boy. Seyen days after this, the priest absolved him from all sin, and he proceeded to the Mass: but he says, "Before I left the chapel, I put the wafer into my handkerchief, doubting what the priest had said, and hastened home." At this time the lady asked him whether the priest read to him anything. He said, "No." The lady suggested that he should desire the priest to read the Bible to him; and John said he would, and accordingly he went. His Reverence said John was a bad boy; that the Bible was only printed in Greek, Hebrew, or Latin, and told him he was a fool for his pains-that priests alone were to learn and teach the Bible. Thus, at the outset, John had a specimen of what was to follow. He was informed, nevertheless, that he might read the life of Jesus Christ, which he would get for three-halfpence, and which was far better than the Bible. John said he would get it. The priest, pleased with his docility, shook hands with him, and bade him good-bye-adding, he hoped God would bless him. But John forthwith fell into the company of another lady, who asked him if he heard the Bible read. John

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