a merciful God, he will not forsake thee;" and again, "Lo, I am with you always even to the end." On Saturday, October 27th, about noon, she complained of pain in the head. She dropped her needlework and retired to bed. After a short period she seemed again to revive; and about four o'clock she came down stairs; but on finding herself getting worse, she shortly returned to her bed for the last time. This was followed by a powerful seizure, depriving her of speech, and she soon became paralyzed one side from head to foot. Consciousness and hearing were for awhile at least, retained. One of the friends after praying for her said, "If you are happy, lift up your hand." She immediately lifted up the hand on the unaffected side, and with it took his hand with a strong grasp, as though it was to be a full answer in the affirmative to his question. From this time she sank rapidly, until the next day, about twelve o'clock, when she breathed her last, just twenty-four hours after she was taken. As though she had a presentiment of her approaching dissolution, about three weeks previous to her death, she introduced the subject of her funeral to her daughters, in reference to her grave,the mourning that the family was to wear at her funeral, and other matters. Her remains were laid in St. Juliot Church-yard, where her husband was interred; there to sleep until the morning of the resurrection. Thus were divided the days of her life ;— Twenty-three years a maid, thirty-six years a wife, MISCELLANEOUS. HASTY WORDS. (Extracted from an old Volume.) "I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue; I will keep my mouth with a bridle :" was a wise saying of the holy Psalmist. For want of this holy circumspection, how much discord and unhappiness frequently arise. in families and neighbourhoods. In a moment of irritation some harsh expression has been uttered, and perhaps almost as soon retracted; but which, having been overheard, is remembered and repeated to the injury of an innocent character, or to the keeping up of perpetual strife or shyness between neighbours or friends. In some trifling family altercation, one party has unguardedly uttered the sinful wish that they had never met each other, or might never meet again. In a cool and rational moment nothing could be further from the heart than such a wish; and, had it been fulfilled, it is highly probable that the same rash lips would declare that the utterer could never know another happy moment. Even though the wish thus rashly and sinfully expressed were merci fully denied, a wound may have been inflicted on the conscience of one party, and on the feelings of the other, which may not easily heal; which, perhaps, may more or less embitter the whole intercourse of future life. A very poor atonement or solace would be found in the too common apology-“It was only a hasty expression-I had no meaning in it." Hasty words are sometimes uttered under the influence of gloomy despondency, as well as of undue irritation. We have several instances of each recorded in an old volume; let us collect them, in order that we may gather instruction from the mistakes of others. Esau spoke very hastily when in a fit of hunger, he said, " Behold, I am at the point to die; and what profit shall this birthright do to me ?" Gen. xxv. 32. This rash expression led to a rash action. For one morsel of meat he sold his birthright; and we know how that "afterward when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected; for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears." Hebrews xii. 16, 17. Rebekah had much reason for trouble and grief of mind in the foolish marriages of her son Esau ; yet she spoke very hastily when she said, "I am weary of my life, because of the daughters of Heth; if Jacob take a wife of the daughters of Heth, such as these which are of the daughters of the land, what good shall my life do me.' Gen. xxvii. 46. The misconduct of others, especially those who are near and dear to us, is perhaps one of the severest trials of our life; but it never ought to make us weary of life; it will not, if we "endure hardness as good soldiers of Jesus Christ." We should do all in our power to prevent the misconduct of others; but if disappointment attend our best efforts, still our life may do us much good if it gives us opportunity of glorifying God, and improving in the graces of patience, forbearance, resignation, and love. Rachel spoke very hastily, when in the moment of disappointment and envy, she said, "Give me children, or else I die!" Gen. xxx. 1. Having her mind inordinately set on a temporal enjoyment, and seeking death, or at least disregarding life with all its other blessings if this one wish were withheld-and she died, not in the withholding, but in the granting of her inordinate desire. Gen. xxxv. 16-20. God alone knoweth what is good for us all the days of our vain life, which fleeth as a shadow. Happy are they who leave all in the hands of God, to give or withhold, to continue or remove, what he sees fit, only to enable them to glorify Him iu all conditions and circumstan ces. Jacob spoke very hastily, though the expression was uttered at the impulse of honest indignation; when Laban was searching for his stolen gods, Jacob said, "With whomsoever thou findest thy gods, let him not live." Gen. xxxi. 32. Jacob knew not that Rachel had stolen and concealed them. It shows the rashness of becoming surety for the conduct of others, and the sinfulness of uttering vain imprecations. It is very probable that Jacob remembered this saying with sorrow, when Rachel died in childbed shortly afterwards. Jacob spoke very hastily, when he misconstrued the dispensations of Providence towards him and his family;-I am "bereaved of my children; Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away: all these things are against me.' Gen. xlii. 36. At that very time Joseph was alive and in honour; Simeon was safe and well; Benjamin was only to be parted with for a short time, in order to their meeting again in comfort; and all these things, instead of being against Jacob, were working together for the preservation and happiness of himself and family. Jacob lived to correct his mistakes, and to own that God had led him and fed him all his life long, and redeemed him from all evil. Miriam spoke very hastily, when she indulged a spirit of envy against her brother Moses, on ac count of the honour with which the Lord had distinguished him. Moses was very meek, and did not care to vindicate his own cause; but the Lord interposed for him and punished the offender. Numbers xii. The people of Israel often spoke very hastily, when they murmured against their leaders and their God; when they wished themselves back in Egypt, or dead in the wilderness; when they questioned the power of God to provide for them, and to bring them into the land he had promised to their fathers. And what did they get by their hasty words ? Sometimes their foolish wishes were granted in anger; sometimes they were visited with heavy judgments; and at length they were sentenced to forty years wandering in the wilderness, and as a generation, though not as a people, they were finally excluded from the land of Canaan; while their little ones whom they had said should fall as a prey in the wilderness, were brought in to possess it. Even Moses, the meekest of men, was once provoked in his spirit, and spoke unadvisedly with his lips. When God commanded him to speak to the rock and call forth water for the congregation, in the heat of his spirit he spoke to the murmuring rebels, and smote the rock; and for his failure in exact obedience, and his yielding to an angry spirit, he was deprived of the honour of conducting the people into the promised land. Portsmouth, Aug. 22nd, 1856. to a 66 Your Correspondent, W., alludes to the April number last, adverting Memoir of Richard Cobb" in that magazine, written by me, selecting for special observation that paragraph bearing on the conversion of Lydia. I have carefully read the heading of the letter, and the entire article-paying particular attention to what relates to me --and am now forcibly constrained to say to W., as Philip said to the Eunuch, "Understandest thou what thou readest ?" The letter of W. is headed " Gradual and unknown conversions." W. will do well to act upon the advice which stands as the heading of this letter-it is very good advice 66 call things by their right names. In my judgment, the heading selected by W. in this case, is a departure from it. Who said, unknown conversions ?" I will not own it. I very strongly object to it. It is a great perversion of the truth. There is not a single line to warrant it. The question at issue is not, the reality of conversions-not about "unknown conversions"-but whether all individuals know the time, can name the hour, or to make the matter stronger by using the term employed by W., more than once, the "moment" of their conversion -Is it so ? In my estimation, the matter, as stated above, is the question; if so, is not the heading wrong? A similar blunder is committed as to the paragraph concerning Lydia, quoted and remarked on by W. The difficulty with which W. battles, is created by the battler. I used the term "conversion," by which I meant, in the case of Lydia and Richard Cobb too, both the "process and result;" but the term "justification" is employed by W., and hence the conclusions arrived at. Does not W. know that there is a very marked difference in the meaning and comprehensiveness of the two terms, justification and conversion? But even in adopting the former term, I cannot see the truth of the conclusions of W. just in one point-respecting all persons having a knowledge of the moment when justified. I differ from W., I have no sympathy with the remark of the Oldest local preacher in the Circuit." 66 Would it not be more judicious to say; God's general rule is for the justified to be blessed instantaneously with the evidence of their justification; but there are some exceptions wherein the evidence is progressive-commencing in spiritual twilight, and advancing to a glorious meridian"? God's general order is for his people to know the time-millions happily do know it—all should labour earnestly to know it-the jailor knew it; but are there no exceptions ? The writer could name the year, day, hour, place, instrument, and circumstances of his justification by faith; but the terms employed in the memoir adverted to were not. meant to describe his own experience, but the christian experience of Richard Cobb. Our pious and venerable brother said he could not remember the hour. Can W. say no, to this? Does Acts xvi name the "moment" respecting Lydia? Did the elderly lady of some good degree of intelligence" and "rich in christian experience" name the Much credit is due to W. for giving attention to the contents of the magazine-for possessing a jealousy respecting the purity of its theology-for attempting to check any supposed departure from the truth-especially such a cardinal truth as "justification by faith”— that truth which Luther, the great German reformer very properly styled "The article of a standing or falling church." But I confess I should have more admired the letter, had W. written less dogmatically. To state a matter so positively through the letter, as the truth, and then at the close ask those "whose opinions are matured," "whose mind is become settled on the sub. ject," for assistance, are such antipodes that I cannot bring them together! If my Theology is in error, I hope W., or some one, will set me right. The field is a very large one, and deeply interesting. What topics more so than justification and conversion ? I must stop. I remember reading about a Scotchman in the hours of public worship, who was listening to the minister in the house of God at prayer. The minister was praying for the Royal family, singling them out rather tediously. The Scotchman's patience at length became quite exhausted, and he gave audible expression to his wishes, in the words," Lump 'em, lump 'em!" If not already too late, I will take the hint and close. I know not whether W. is male or female-young or old-a private member or public officer-but I devoutly pray that W., the writer, the Bible Christian Connexion, and the world, may "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." JOHN HICKS. Tenterden, Sep. 10th, 1856. THE PREACHER AND THE In a small town in Hampshire, when coming out of the chapel he The change wrought was soon visible; the man gave up the beer-shop, abandoned his companions and their amusements, and has since worked at the trade of shoe-making to obtain a livelihood for his family. The minister was delighted and much encouraged at witnessing such a proof of the power of the gospel. The man and his wife not long since were publicly baptized, and received into the church, and their four children attend the Sabbath school, The man has joined the Bible class, and the family are constant in their attendance at the means of grace during the week, as well as on the Sabbath day. This once professed infidel has obtained the pardon of his sins, peace and joy in believing, and the love of God is shed abroad in his heart; "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature ; old things are passed away, behold, all things are be come new." JOHN DORE. A PRAYER BOOK. A minister who had been characterised by the fervour of his preaching and praying, was observed to decline in the spirit with which his public duties had been performed, whereupon some of his flock ventured to hint the change to him. His simple reply was, "I have lost my prayer book." "Your prayer book! said the astonished visitors; we never knew you used one." "You are mistaken said the minister; lied much on my prayer book ; I mean the prayers of my people; but since they have ceased earnestly to pray for me, I have been disqualified for labouring diligently for them." 66 I re SANCTIFICATION OF THE SAB- (From Dr. Archer's speech at the fifty-seventh Anniversary of the Religious Tract Society.) There is a subject in connexion with the great movements of the day which we are not to cast into the shade-the question of Sabbath observance. I believe it is to be the battle ground-it may be |