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quenched, where the worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched."

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The Young break the Sabbath by spending it in pleasure; those farther advanced in life are more apt to break it by spending it, or a part of it, in carrying on their worldly business, or managing their family concerns. Keeping a shop open on a Sunday is so manifest a breach of this commandment, that I need only mention it; but too often I fear where there is a garden, the father of the family will sometimes work in it instead of going to church himself, or taking care of the little ones while his wife goes. And-where the mother works in the fields, or at any trade or business in the week, she is too apt to take the Sunday for her household concerns. I know you will say, It is very easy for you who do not know what it is to want a meal, to warn us against such practices; but I have a large family to provide for, and if I did not make the most of my time we should be distressed. I am sorry to be obliged to do what I do on a Sunday, but I can't help it." To this I reply, Do not you know that God has said, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things (things needful for the body,) shall be added to you." Matt. vi. 33. If I were to promise you, that if you would take the Saturday for your family business, and keep holy the Sabbath-day, I would make it up to you, you would trust me; and yet you are afraid of trusting God in the same way. Take the words and look at them: "Seek ye first the Lingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you." Is it not a very positive promise, and think you that the most High God deems it no offence, that you refuse to give Him the credit you would without scruple give to a fellow-creature? You have heard a great deal of faith; now this is faith, just believing the Word

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of God, and acting upon it. Consider again, how absolutely dependant you are upon God for your suecess. "His are the silver and the gold."

It is

the blessing of the Lord that maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it." You may labour and toil, but God may send some illness or loss that may eat up all your earnings, so that, as the Prophet Haggai expresses it, you may "but earn wages to put it into a bag with holes." "Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it." Hag. i. 6-9. God does not generally visit for sin in this life, yet I have known more instances than one, in which He has remarkably displayed his indignation against the despisers of this commandment. I knew a woman who got her livelihood by washing, she had a place where she was employed five days in the week, and might have had Saturday to wash and mend for herself and her child; but so greedy was she of money that she engaged herself to chair at a public house on Saturday, and consequently was obliged to take the afternoon of Sunday for her own jobs: the morning she usually spent in bed to rest herself after her fatigues. I warned her of the sinfulness of her proceedings; and pressed upon her, "What shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul?" but all in vain, she continued to go on, regardless of admonition, till at length she was seized with a violent illness, which brought her near to the borders of the grave. Bitterly then did she lament her past life, and especially (as I have often known it to happen in such cases,) her contempt of God's Sabbaths; and earnestly did she vow to live differently, if God should raise her up. She was raised up; but, with grief I write it, after a few Sundays she returned to her former practices. I again warned her; told her, as I have done you, that she could not expect the blessing of God on a sinful course, and that it was His blessing that made rich; that

except the Lord build the house, their labour is -but vain that build it." But all was fruitless: she went on in her wickedness, till she was laid on a sick bed a second time; but not, as before, to re. cover. She lay many months in great distress of mind and body, till, having parted with every thing but absolute necessaries, she was obliged to be conveyed, without hope of recovery, to her parish in another county.

I knew another woman who took in washing, and had a great deal of custom, so that she employed many to wash and iron under her. In spite of the remonstrances both of some pious friends, and of her own conscience, (for she was not an ignorant woman,) she persisted in taking in so much, and having so few people in proportion to the work, that it was seldom finished till late on a Saturday night, or rather till Sunday morning was considerably advanced; the consequence of which was, that she and her work-people spent the greater part of Sunday -in bed, and in family arrangements, that ought to have been attended to on the Saturday. I watched for the event. The first stroke was, that her husband, who was a ship-carpenter, was taken ill and lost his voyage: then a child sickened and died; and, in the course of a few months more, from several families, who had employed her, leaving the place, her work, by degrees, fell off, and she became a clear example that God's blessing does not attend the Sabbath-breaker.

I could multiply instances to the same purpose; and on the other hand, tell you of those who, having been persuaded to make the trial, have declared that at the year's end they have found themselves no poorer for keeping holy the Sabbath; and, even if they had, is it not better to lose a little worldly gain than to lose our souls? O! consider these things, do not set time against eternity, and let no excuse satisfy your conscience now, that you could

not bring before, the judgment-seat of God. I am the more earnest in pressing this upon you, because, when you give up the Sabbath, you give up your souls, for you give up the means of acquainting yourselves with God, and being at peace.

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ligion seems a hard service to you now, but it is only because you do not know it: if you did, you would find, as all the people of God will testify, that "its ways are ways of pleasantness and peace." And even if it were not so; even if the lives that religious people lead were as irksome to them as they would now be to you, would it be worth while to give up eternity for a few days pleasure or gain? But do not mistake me, for I wish to be understood here. It is not the strictest keeping of every Sabbath you may have to spend hence-forward, that will of itself take you to heaven. It is the blood of Christ alone -which can entitle any one to hope for salvation: but this is what it will do for you, it will give you op-portunity for going to church and reading your Bible, by which you will come to the knowledge of your danger as a sinner, and of the way of salvation by Christ, and of the need of godly preparation for his kingdom. And as God has not only sanctified but blessed the Sabbath, you have reason to hope, that if you, by spending, it in this way, seek Him and draw nigh to Him, He will draw nigh to you and bless you, by "opening your eyes and turning you from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that you may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified."

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From the 4th verse Moses goes back to the work of the sixth day, and gives us some farther particulars respecting the creation and situation of our first Parents. He tells us that Adam was formed of the dust of the ground, and that he consisted of body and soul, v. 7.: that he was placed in the delightful garden of Eden, out of which grew every thing that was pleasant to the sight, and good for food. All

of which he was permitted freely to eat, excepting only one tree; the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Of this he was not to eat, and God threatened him, that if he did eat of it he should surely die. And if you read to the end of the chapter, you will see how the Lord God brought all the creatures that He had made to Adam, that he might give names to them; and how He provided a help meet for Adam. T. B. P.

BAD EFFECTS FROM A GOOD SERMON. To the Editor of the Cottager's Monthly Visitor.

MR. EDITOR,

As I perceive you admit any observation into your valuable little Monitor, which may serve, by exposing, to correct the faults and follies of mankind, I will offer no apology for communicating the following circumstance, as it occurred this autumn in a country village.

I was just returning from hearing a most admirable sermon upon the times, in which our excellent clergyman pointed out national sin as the too probable cause of national calamity. The conclusion to be drawn from the sermon was plain: the preacher urged upon his congregation the duty of self-examination and repentance, that they might not, by their individual sins, add to the general punishment. As I knew the pastor was a great favourite with his congregation, and as I felt that his sermon was well calculated to make a deep impression, I went away expecting the happiest consequences from his admonitions: but no sooner had I left the church porch than I found how grievously I had been mistaken. I first overtook Dame Bartlett, who, as she slowly hobbled home to her cottage, and talked in no very low tone to a neighbour on the same road,