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my name, there am I in the midst of them." One would think such a promise as this, were there no other, would be sufficient to cause our prayer-meetings to be crowded with anxious souls to see Jesus with hearts filled with love to him, overwhelmed with a deep sense of their obligations; and earnestly asking in what way they can best testify their gratitude to him who shed his precious blood to procure their salvation, and confers upon them the high honour of being workers together with him in bringing about the restoration of a lost and ruined world. But, alas! this is not the case. There

are, I doubt not, not a few ministers of the glorious Gospel, whose labours are sustained by a praying and active people; but I fear this cannot be said of all, for from not a few we hear the complaint, 61 our prayer-meetings are in a languishing condition."

The church which has more particularly called forth this voice, is situated in a large and populous town in the northern part of England, and is far from being a solitary case at that side of our isle. It numbers, I believe, upwards of two hundred and twenty members, and there is scarcely an average of ten per cent. attendance at the Monday evening prayer-meetings; and yet the esteemed pastor of that church is one of the most faithful and laborious ministers, possessing talents of the highest order, sanctified by the most ardent piety, and thorough consecration to the service of his Lord and Master. But still the chapel is seldom or never crowded: would that I could even say it were generally tolerably filled with attentive hearers, thirsting for the living waters! and this, I do believe, is from a want of prayer, and is to a great extent attributable to the insult offered to the Son of God by a neglected prayer-meeting.

Oh! my dear fellow-Christians, would that my feeble voice could reach every ear, and arouse every heart that neglects, slightingly neglects, those opportunities of social prayer, to the insult thus given to the Lord of life and glory! Do you think there is no truth in his word when he saith, "There am I!" or can it be, that you have so little desire to see him, that trivial things will prevent you being present. Some, I know, say they are so confined through the day, that it is necessary for their health to take a walk in the evening. And is it so? would one hour taken from their walk one evening in the week, materially affect their health?

It is an exercise becoming an intelligent creature to survey the beauties of creation, and look through them to Nature's God. But if that God hath appointed a place where we shall meet with him, and enjoy more intimate communion with himself, shall we not forego the less for the greater? If earthly friends, whom we dearly loved, were to invite us to their house, we would not thus slight them. Then, again, others are so busily engaged amid the trifles of earth, that they have not time left for this purpose: they must have time to receive and return visits from friends, they must have time for excursions of pleasure, they must finish this piece of work, or they must read that new book, till they quite forget the meeting, or have not time to go. And must the prayer-meeting only come in when every other claim is satisfied?-or can they forget the hour consecrated to the worship of God by the church of which they make a part? What a state of things is this! And some, perhaps, there may be who, though they have a good share of the comforts of this life, yet they must increase their business, or prolong their labour, though their time is at their own command, and take in the hour of prayer in order to better their circumstances in the world.

But I will not multiply cases; for often have I been sick at heart in my own little circle with excuses for absence from this, to the Christian, most important means of grace. How must such conduct appear in the eyes of the Lord, who is present in that scantily - filled house to bless every waiting soul?—and if we are absent, when we might so arrange our affairs as to be present, does not our conduct imply contempt of his presence and blessing; and, as a consequence, leanness is sent into our souls, the cause of God is retarded, and souls are hourly perishing.

What shall I more say: others have spoken on this subject, and yet it need to be again and again reiterated; and I cannot but mingle the tear of sorrow over the insult offered to my Lord by this slighting of his presence; the indifference it manifests towards his cause and kingdom, who, after having promised what he would do for his people, said, "I will yet be inquired of by the house of Israel to do it for them;" and for our encouragement in united prayer, hath said, "If two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them."

It hath been said by some that our prayer-meetings are not interesting, that those who engage in prayer are too tedious in their petitions, and too general in their subjects: granting there may be some truth in this, yet who does not know that we are all more or less influenced by circumstances. External things have much power over us; and the defect we think we discover may, to a great extent, be aggravated by the smallness of the numbers present, chilling the devotional feeling of those who thus engage; at any rate, it is no excuse for remaining away, and leaving a duty unfulfilled. If our object in going be to see Jesus, we shall see him though the petitions offered may be in a way not in exact accordance with our notions. But let none of us substitute in any way social prayer for secret devotion, they must act and react upon each other; we must always enter the sanctuary from the closet, carrying with us the spirit of prayer, or we shall not be in a state of mind to join in the petitions presented; and we must so join in them while there as to have the desires of our souls increased in extent and ardency by our attendance, till all selfishness is as it were annihilated, and the glory of our God and Saviour is our end and aim; that whenever his will is made known (and do we not receive direction in answer to prayer?) we may no longer confer with flesh and blood.

All who have prayerfully attended these meetings, can bear their testimony to their sweet enjoyment of the Divine presence and blessing, and to their refreshing and hallowing influence after a day of care and toil in the world. Methinks it is a wise arrangement, apart from other considerations, that they thus break in upon the world and curb its engrossing power over the mind. And how would the hearts of our pastors be cheered after the exhausting labours of the sabbath, and their sinking energies sustained, if when they came up to the house of prayer, they saw their people gathered thickly around them on all sides, and earnest and importunate prayer ascending to God for a blessing on their labours by hundreds of united hearts; it would infuse new life into their studies, and an energy more than human would flow from their words, till sinners in great numbers would hear, and fear, and turn to God. · H.

CHRISTIAN LOVE.

"The greatest of these is charity."

IF there ever flourished in the soil of humanity one flower more than another resembling those which decked the garden of Eden-if we ever breathed an atmosphere approaching in purity that which was wafted in the gales of paradise-if we ever touched a chord which vibrated in harmony with the mingled symphonies of angels and men, when angels and men were companions,—it was love. Burnished with this grace, intelligence came from the hand of Jehovah; and the want of it is characteristic only of depraved man and fallen angels. No sooner had the prohibition of Heaven to our first parents been violated, and the consequent curse pronounced, than love took her flight from earth; and soon could the inscription be read, engraven on the very throne she had occupied, “Hateful, and hating one another;' the blood of Abel proclaimed she has gone! and every line on the scroll before the eternal throne declares earth to be no longer her dwelling-place, man no longer her admirer; the knot which bound heart to heart, and all to God, is dissevered.

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To reproduce a picture like that upon which the sun first smiled, was an object for which many breasts sighed; but in vain. To restore what was thus lost, and revive in some faint degree the Divine image in the human character, mighty intelligencies arose, and put forth their energies: but although they shone in splendour amid the darkness which enshrouded them, yet they found the task they had undertaken was too mighty; and it was reserved for the Gospel, with a voice from heaven, to announce the plan by which “ peace on earth and good-will to man" may be secured; and not until this Gospel shall exercise its legitimate influence over the universe, will"the desert rejoice and blossom as the rose. Let Christian love, then, in all its perfection be the object of your ambition; to its manifestation there is no limit; however bright it may be exemplified in your life upon earth, it shall transcendently excel in the life and service of Heaven; and by your cultivating to a larger extent this principle of love, you will help materially to bring about that period when " peace shall flow as a river;" that true millennium, when the sun shall dawn every morning upon a universe bowing at Jehovah's shrine;

and shall set every evening, casting its rays upon a world chanting its vespers to the "King of kings and Lord of lords;" you will benefit man, recommend religion, and glorify God! J. H.

MORE PUSEYISM.

TO THE EDITOR.-SIR,-The writer for a series of years has endeavoured to preach the gospel of Christ in a rural district where religious instruction has been much wanting. Through the whole course of his ministry it has been his chief aim to be as explicit as possible in explaining the doctrines contained in the New Testament, and more especially those doctrines connected with the salvation of the soul. For instance, the doctrine of man's fallen nature; the efficacy of the atonement; the necessity and great importance of the new birth for every man; the claims of the Gospel relative to "repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ," as the only sure way of salvation; the work and agency of the Holy Spirit in his enlightening, purifying, and saving operations; and the importance of leading a holy life in strict conformity to Christ and his gospel. With the Bible before him, he has been particular in recommending its hallowed contents as the word of God, containing the verities of imperishable truth; and declaring it to be the only infallible guide in all matters of faith and practice.

But since Puseyism has been afloat, and the Prayer-book put in the place of the Bible, the writer has been very much annoyed by opposite sentiments, or another kind of doctrine altogether unknown in the New Testament: such as human tradition, water-regeneration, priestly absolution of sin, and all the ceremonies of a State-church carried out to the greatest extent, are now introduced to the notice of the people as the only safe way to heaven; and this to the exclusion of all others, who prefer taking the word of God as the best and surest guide in all matters of religion. Those exclusives tell the people that there is no salvation out of the church, and that all who dissent from her will be lost. Thus, by a sort of blind zeal, they try to prevail upon every one to go to church. One of those authorised teachers not long since turned to the parish church, and pointing with his finger, said, "Let us all go to one place and with one heart." Such teachers do not allow people to think for themselves; but, according to the popish doctrine, they tell them that it is their duty to follow their lawful teachers, and that they are the only men whom God and the

bishop have sent to communicate spiritual instruction; that no man has a right to preach unless he has been previously ordained by the bishop; and that no other teachers but themselves can take people to heaven. One of those exclusives said to a person who went to chapel, "Do not go to chapel, for they cannot take you to heaven; but come to church, and then you will be right."

Blessed be God for the Bible! and since he has condescended to become an author, and to give us a Book free of error, and richly fraught with all good, we are bound in duty to read it, and to be thankful for such a valuable boon. Well did Chrysostom say, "Ignorance of the Scriptures hath brought forth heresies, and turned all things upside down." A person once told the writer, that a certain official in the church said to her, "You read the Bible too much." It is a pity but he had read the Bible more himself, and then, most likely, he would have recommended the person to keep on reading, in imitation of the nobility at Berea, who "searched the Scriptures daily whether those things were so." But, a few years since, the minister of the parish by some means had found out, that several children had been baptized at the chapel. This so much alarmed him (of course the work being done so badly), that he so far prevailed upon some of the parents to allow him to rebaptize them. This he did. The same minister predicted, that, in the course of seven years, the chapel would be turned into a pig's sty. This is not all: it came to pass that he visited a member belonging to the chapel, who at that time was drawing near his latter end, and requested him to confess his sins, saying, "If you confess your sins to me, you will die more peaceably." The person told him he would not confess his sins to any man, but he would confess them to the Almighty. Another person who attended the chapel, asked the minister of the parish what were his views as to the baptism of the Holy Spirit; the reply was, "We are all regenerated in our baptism." The writer could state many other facts, some of which would astound the reader.

How long are these things to exist in what is called a Protestant church? Where are the bishops? Let them come forward and put a class of men to work in the church, who shall not shun to declare all the counsel of God, and discharge their duty towards the Saviour, and to the souls of the people, that they may be safely trained for eternity. The foregoing remarks are not invidiously written, as the writer is well aware there are some happy exceptions in the Established Church. There are to be

found in her men of strict piety, of sound principles, and indefatigable in preaching Christ. The writer has had the honour of being personally acquainted with a few of those pious and praiseworthy ministers. Some six or seven years ago he had a call to pay a visit to one of them, whose piety and venerable appearance entitle

him to a large amount of Christian respect. During our interview he made the following candid remark, when speaking upon the various sections of the Christian church: "It matters not," said he, "what denomination we are of, supposing we are in Christ; and if we are not in Christ, we are wrong."

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

WAR.

FIRST Envy, eldest born of hell, embrued
Her hands in blood, and taught the sons of men
To make a death which nature never made,
And God abhorred; with violence rude to break
The thread of life, ere half its length was run,
And rob a wretched brother of his being.
With joy Ambition saw and soon approved
The execrable deed. "T was not enough
By subtle fraud to snatch a single life!
Puny impiety! Whole kingdoms fell,
To sate the lusts of power: more horrid still,
The foulest stain and scandal of our nature
Became its boast! One murder made a villain;
Millions, a hero! Princes were privileged to kill,
And numbers sanctified the crime !

Ah! why will kings forget that they are men,
And men that they are brethren? Why delight
In human sacrifice? Why burst the ties
Of nature, that should knit their souls together
In one soft bond of amity and love?
Yet still they breathe destruction, still go on
Inhumanly ingenious to find out

New pains for life, new terrors for the grave.
Artificers of death! Still monarchs dream
Of universal empire growing up
From universal ruin. Blast the design,
Great God of Hosts, nor let thy creatures fall
Unpitied victims at Ambition's shrine !-Porteus.

ARREARS ON THE GLORY AND
SLAUGHTER BILLS.

THE following is an estimate of the debts of the several nations of Europe, reduced to the currency of the United States, by an American, who deserves thanks for his industry. Every labouring man should cut this out and paste it over his mantel-piece:

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Dolls., each Dollars. Inhabitant. 5,556,000,000 222 1,800,000,000 54 800,000,000 250

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Belgium

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This pretty little patrimony is to be handed down from generation to generation. A fair price to pay for glory!

EXPENSES OF THE CAFFRE WAR. THE sum required towards defraying the expenses, beyond the ordinary grants for the years 1846-7 and 1847-8, for army and ordnance services occasioned by the Caffre war, at the Cape of Good Hope, amounts to £1,100,000. This estimate has been issued from the Treasury Chambers, Whitehall. This is a very large sum to pay for killing a few poor Caffres ! Our colonies are preserved as colonies, for the sake of our aristocracy. As independent countries, they would be excellent customers, and the tie of the common language would hold them as friends, assuming only justice on our part; but colonies are aristocratic warrens. "Every rock in the

ocean where a cormorant can be perched is occupied by our troops-has a governor, deputygovernor, storekeeper, deputy-storekeeper, and will soon have an archdeacon and a bishopmilitary colleges, with thirty-four professors educating seventeen ensigns per annum, having half an ensign for each professor, with every species of nonsense, athletic, sarterial, and plumigerous." -Sidney Smith.

MR. ADAMS'S EARLY LESSONS. JOHN QUINCY ADAMS, the famous President of the United States, in early life, received lessons in morals and religious duties from his parents, which were never effaced from his mind. His excellent mother, in 1778, wrote to him these words: "Great learning and superior abilities, should you ever possess them, will be of little value and of small estimation, unless virtue, honour, integrity, and truth are cherished by you. Adhere to the rules and principles early instilled in your mind, and remember that you are responsible to your God. Dear as you are to me, I would much rather prefer that you would find a grave in the ocean which you have crossed, than to see you an immoral, graceless child." In his last conversation, Mr. Adams expressed his astonishment at the insensibility of men holding public station to the great truths of Christianity, and the indifference with which they viewed the worship of the Most High God and the institutions of religion. Some time before his death, he stated that ever since he was thirty years old, he had been accustomed, among the first things, to read the Bible every morning. With few interruptions, he followed the practice over fifty years. He read seven different versions in the German, French, Greek and Latin languages, beside English translations.

WHEN Adams had finished his course, and his dust was lying in state at Washington, one of his surviving friends wrote as follows: "To-day that venerable form lies at the capitol. All is silent. But his undying soul, if we might suppose it, is now hovering and lingering over his native state, to give its farewell, yet loath to depart; he whose character was love of his country, of man, of freedom, of justice, of right, and of God. To-morrow, his mortal dust starts once more to join the dear presence of his father and mother, to mingle his ashes with their ashes, as their lives were mingled, and their souls were united. What shall we say to him when he returns? We shall say,

"Where slavery's minions cower
Before the servile power,

He bore the ban.

And like the aged oak

That braved the lightning's stroke,
When thunders round it broke,

Stood up a man.

"Nay, when the storm was loud, And round him like a cloud

Came thick and black,
He single-handed strove,
And like Olympian Jove,
With his own thunder drove
The phalanx back.

"Not from the bloody field
Borne on his batter'd shield,

By foes o'ercome;

But from a sterner fight,
In the defence of right,
Clothed with the conqueror's might,
We hail him home.

"Now with his kindred dead
Lay his more honoured head,

Where dust returns to dust:
That soul shall never die,
While God fills earth and sky,
But dwells in heaven on high,
Amid the kindred just!"

INFLUENCE OF BREATHING ON THE

ATMOSPHERE.

IT is only the girdling and encircling air which flows above and around all that makes the "whole world kin." The carbonic acid with which our breathing fills the air to-morrow will be spreading north and south, and striving to make the tour of the world. The date-trees that grow round the fountains of the Nile will drink it in by their leaves; the cedars of Lebanon will take of it to add to their stature; the cocoa-nuts of Tahiti will grow riper upon it; and the palms and bananas of Japan will change it into flowers. The oxygen we are breathing was distilled for us some short time ago by the magnolias of the Susquehanna, and the great trees that skirt Orinoko and the Amazon. The giant rhododendrons of the Himalayahs contributed to it, the roses and myrtles of Cashmere, the cinnamon trees of Ceylon, and forests older than the flood, buried deep in the heart of Africa, far behind the Mountains of the Moon. The rain which we see descending was thawed for us out of icebergs which have watched the polar star for ages; and lotus lilies sucked up from the Nile, exhaled as vapour the snows that are lying on the tops of our hills.-British Quarterly.

STATE OF CRIME IN FRANCE. IN the course of the year 1847, the Courts of Assize of France pronounced sixty-seven condemnations to death; of which forty-three were for the crime of assassination, eight for murder and robbery, five for poisoning, four for parri

cide, three for infanticide, three for wilful fireraising, and one for aggravated assault and wounding. During the same period, the councils of war established in France and Algiers pronounced 102 capital condemnations; of which eighty-two were for assault on superiors, twelve for assassination, eight for desertion. The medium of crimes against the person and against property in France varies annually from 5,000 to 6,000. The number of accused is generally from 7,000 to 8,000, of which about one-third are acquitted. Correctional offences are much more numerous. During the year 1847, 77,000 cases, including 98,000 persons accused, were brought before the tribunals de premiere instance, of which 23,000 were acquitted. The number of accidental deaths recorded during the same period amounts to 7,400; of which 3,000 were drowned, 600 were killed by carriage accidents, 400 by the fall of earth, 200 by the immoderate use of alcoholic liquors, eighty by lightning, fourteen by railway accidents, &c. The number of suicides 3,000, of which two-thirds are males. The greater number committed suicide by strangulation, submersion, or asphyxia, and very few by poison. The greatest number of suicides occurred in the months of May, June, and July.

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Of these twenty-seven were Irish, or about 25 per cent. of all the crime committed in Yorkshire, and tried at the last winter assize, was committed by Irishmen.

Of these crimes twenty-nine were crimes of violence-murders, manslaughters, robberies, and assaults; and of these crimes nineteen were committed by Irishmen; or about 66 per cent. of the crimes of violence in Yorkshire tried at York, were committed by Irishmen.

Of these crimes of violence eight resulted in death-in murder or manslaughter; and of these eight crimes six were committed by Irishmen; or 75 per cent. of the murders and manslaughters in Yorkshire tried last assizes, were committed by Irishmen.

HOME TRUTHS. READER,-Last sabbath was a little unpleasant -that, no doubt, you know ;-not so unpleasant, however, as would have prevented you, on any other day, from going half a mile, could you have gained a nine-pence; and yet you deserted the sanctuary during the day. Now this proves a few things:

Firstly, That you have little or no regard for the feelings of your pastor.

Secondly, That if you are a parent, you care but little what example you are setting before your children.

Thirdly, That you have little or no regard for your covenant vows.

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