will abundantly pardon" (Isaiah lv. 7). The speaker dwelt chiefly on the abounding grace treasured up in the Lord Jesus Christ. It pleased God to carry home His own word to this wanderer's heart, the Spirit's arrows pierced her conscience, and in agony of conviction she retired to her miserable home. Sleep fled, all night scenes of wickedness in which she had participated rose up before her, and she writhed under the intensity of these newly awakened feelings. When the villagers had gone to their accustomed work next morning, Janet resolved to go to Mrs. M. and tell her her misery. With a trembling hand she knocked at the door, and asked admission for a few minutes. The invalid at once kindly invited her entrance: with tears Janet confessed her guilt, and asked whether there was hope for such a sinner. With deep emotion Mrs. M. pointed her to the fountain opened for sin and uncleanness, and assured her of a welcome to the Lord Jesus as an atonement. After praying with her, she promised to send Miss D. to speak to her of the same loving and forgiving Saviour.

Miss D. went to Janet's dwelling, and found her in the same distressed state of mind in which she had been the previous day. During the interview, Janet informed her that she was the only child of pious parents, who both died of fever within a week of each other, when she was eleven years old. The kind neighbours sympathized with her orphan state, and agreed to take her to their homes "month about," that she might share their own children's bread. She lived in this way till she was fifteen, when a company of strolling players came to the village, and enticed her to follow them. In their society she learned vice of every description, and her character very soon became ruined. Tired of this wandering life, she had come to Kin search of employment; but her habits of sin had shewn themselves speedily on her arrival, and she became an object of dislike to all around. Alas! that any should willingly yield themselves to be slaves of Satan; truly he proves himself to be a hard master, and his wages are death.

From this time Janet "forsook her evil ways," thus evidencing the sincerity of her repentance. Ever since she had joined the players, she had never entered a church; now she became a regular and impressed hearer. Every Sabbath evening she might be seen taking her place in the Sabbath

school, to learn with the children the long forgotten lessons of her childhood. Twice every week she attended Miss D. in her lodgings, to improve herself in reading; and in a few weeks, she could read in the New Testament with ease.

Many years after Miss D. had left K-, she had the happiness of hearing that Janet continued steadfast, and seemed to be "following on to know the Lord."-British Mother's Magazine.

THAT ONE WORD.

"I never can forget that word which was once whispered to me in an enquiry meeting," said a pious man once to a friend. "What word was it?" "It was the word ETERNITY. A young christian friend, who was yearning for my salvation, came up to me as I sat in my pew, and simply whispered "Eternity' in my ear, with great solemnity and tenderness, and then left me. That word made me think, and I found no peace till I came to the cross."

The sainted M'Cheyne was once riding by a quarry, and stopped to look in for a minute at the engine-house. The fireman had just opened the door to feed the furnace with fresh fuel; when M'Cheyne, pointing to the bright hot flame, said mildly to the man, "Does that fire remind you of anything?" The man could not get rid of the solemn question. To him it was an effectual arrow of conviction. It led him to the house of God, and will lead him, we trust, to heaven.

A single remark of the Rev. Charles Simeon on the blessings which had resulted from the labours of Dr. Carey, in India, first arrested the attention of Henry Martyn to the cause of missions. His mind began to stir under the new thought, and a perusal of the life of Brainerd fixed him in his resolution to give himself to the dying heathen.

It is said that Harlan Page once went through his Sabbath school to get the spiritual census of the school. Coming to one of the teachers he said, "Shall I put you down as having a hope in Christ ?" The teacher replied, "No." "Then," said he very tenderly, "I will put you down as having no hope." He closed his little book and left him. That was enough. gave that young man's soul no rest till he found a hope beneath the cross.

God

A member of my church, not long since, overtook a lady on her way to the prayer meeting. She asked the young woman if

she never thought of her own salvation? The lady thus addressed replied that during all her life she had never had one word spoken to her before about the salvation of her soul! Within a month from that time she became a devoted member of the flock of Christ.

Fellow disciple! have you never yet

spoken one word to an impenitent friend about the most momentous of all questions? Then I fear you will find no one in heaven that you were the means, under God, of sending there. Though you may reach the "many mansions," I fear your crown will glitter with no splendours. It will be a starless crown.

OUGHT THE BIRTH AND DEATH OF CHRIST TO BE MADE THE SUBJECTS OF ANNUAL RELIGIOUS COMMEMORATION?

To the Editors of "The Church.”

Dear Brethren,

Your correspondent of Newcastleon-Tyne, in some friendly strictures on a valuable paper from Gravesend, has raised, though not very distinctly, an important question: whether the New Testament is a sufficient guide for settling the constitution, order, and ordinances of the christian church. While freely admitting that this is the only court of appeal on doctrineson which he thinks christians are more agreed than facts will prove-he seems to me to doubt that it is the only guide for church practice, because it is not so full and plain on this subject as on that, containing, for the most part, passing hints and short allusions, not descending to particulars, but affording a few general principles. All that candour can require of us is, that we will allow as matter of fact that on which he rests his argument. This is fairly done. But the use he makes of it is matter of serious question, and, in my opinion, of dangerous tendency. The proper enquiry is not whether the constitution, order, and ordinances of the church are as explicitly laid down as the doctrines, but are they recorded in any manner, so that a diligent and patient student of the whole writings may satisfactorily make them out? It makes no difference to the question, that such readers of the passing notices of apostolic practice may understand them differently; so that some, for instance, may be for Episcopacy, some for Presbytery, and others for Independency; for the fact that each appeals to the same book in support of his plan, shews that the difference is one of interpretation,

and has no respect to any supposed silence of the writings.

Either the New Testament is sufficient for order and ordinances, as allowed to be for doctrine, or it is not. If it is, let us make it our only rule, each one doing the best he can to make out its meaning. If not sufficient without helps, either ancient or modern, or both, such as custom, pleas of decency and peace, let us honestly espouse tradition at once. A middle way will not do long. "The bible alone," must be our motto, or we shall be beaten out of the field by those who are more fully equipped with other weapons, and know how to use them better. Take the Papist, and shut him up to the Scriptures only, and his cause is ruined. Just let Protestants universally and entirely act on this rule, and victory will not be far off, and safety is certain.

It is not to be forgotten, that by far the greater part of the unseemly strife and cruel persecutions that have disgraced our country, arose from adding to the few and simple ordinances of Christ, and enforcing those additions; and we ought to learn caution from the past. Sharp as have been the contests on doctrines-and there is hardly one but has been keenly controverted-the fiercest war has been respecting order and ordinances, about supplying what Scripture has said nothing of, for the sake of order and decent ornament. Your correspondent is for liberty, and so am I; for liberty enters deeply into the religion of Christ. Let liberty of thought and action be enjoyed on all sides without an unkind reflection; but let it be liberty to interpret the New Testament, not to make a supplement for its supposed deficiency. While christianity is a law of liberty as to our action, it is the law of Christ as to the limits of that liberty.

There was a question of liberty in apos

tolic times, arising out of the peculiar, but temporary circumstances of many of the churches. A part of the converts were Jews, who were undergoing a transition from their national religion to that of Christ. The process was slow and difficult. The difficulty arose not so much from the long operation of the old religion on their minds and habits, as from the fact that it was of divine institution equally with the gospel, though intended only to be preparatory a schoolmaster to train pupils for Christ. The Jewish converts, still clinging fast to the old religion because of its origin being divine, were hard to be convinced of its temporary character; and some of them went so far as to require that the Gentile converts should be circumcised and keep the law of Moses, in order to be true christians. To the first sort the apostles were gentle, aiming to bring them off from the old usages by degrees, as they were able to bear it; but to the other they offered, especially Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, a prompt and decided resistance. The former were as truly christians as their Gentile brethren who had left off all their former worship to which ages had bound them, but were weak in faith, and had weak consciences in the matter of the Mosaic usages; and till their faith was increased, and their consciences more justly formed by clearer light, the Gentile brethren were commanded to treat them tenderly, avoiding what might unnecessarily wound their weak conscience, and all appearance of judging them hastily or harshly, but so far as they still kept their old customs, without trying to impose them on others who had never been subject to them, to let them alone. Such was the old question of liberty and forbearance. It has long since ceased, though of great moment in its time; nor is it easy, if possible, to find a case in our times much like it, though it has been made the basis of splendid, but delusive reasoning. These remarks are intended to shew the unsoundness of the interpretation your correspondent has put on three passages of Scripture relating to this subject. The friend on whose paper he animadverts, had, for the purpose of opposing holy days, for which we have neither commandment nor example in the New Testament, quoted,

with much judgment and success, Gal. iv.. 10, 11, "Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years; I am afraid of you lest I have bestowed on you labour in vain." This is a severe reproof, a sorrowful remonstrance, an earnest, decided condemnation of their conduct, designed to prevent the continuance of these observances. Our Newcastle friend would have us place beside this passage another, and a totally dissimilar one, as though they were parallel (Rom. xiv. 5, 6), written in favour of the weak Jewish brethren already mentioned, that they might not be interrupted in, nor thought the worse of for, observing just the same things so strongly condemned in the case of the Galatians. And why was such a difference made? Simply because the Jews were being brought to the gospel from a religion which, unlike those of the Gentiles, had its origin from heaven, as much as that they had lately embraced, though now no longer necessary, because it had served its purpose, and was abrogated. Had they known this last point, such a passage would not have been written. To join these two passages together is bad enough; but, to make it worse, we are presented with another for the same end, Col. ii. 16, "Let no man, therefore, judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holy day, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath days." Upon this he exclaims against those who condemn holy days, as "judging their brethren when they so condemn." Was a quotation ever wider of the mark than this? Let any one carefully read the context, and it will instantly be seen that the passage was intended to fortify the minds of those who kept not these holy days, against the unjust censures of those weak persons who still retained them. The apostle does not say, let none who reject them condemn you who keep them; but, let none who retain them condemn you for not keeping them; for these are but the shadows of the coming substance, Christ and his kingdom, which, being come, the shadows are done away. To group together passages so unlike, is to neutralise their force, confound the reader, and by wrong combination of premises, to bring out a false conclusion.

RIVAL CLAIMS; OR, THE TEACHING OF TRUTH ON COMMON SUBJECTS. BY THE REV. J. P. HEWLETT. No. 1. REASON. Pp. 16. London: Benjamin L. Green. The idea of this series is a very good one, and in the tract before us it is very well worked out. Our sincere interest in the object of the writer will be our apology for suggesting that a little more energy might be thrown into the style without any disadvantage to the argument, and that it will be necessary to be very careful not to say anything, and not to say it in such a way, as needlessly to raise or justify objections. We cannot, ourselves, see that Lord Herbert's "entreating God, on bended knees," to give him some intimation of his will in respect to the publication of his work on Christianity, nor even that Socinus's "offering many prayers to Christ for guidance as to the interpretation of passages in regard to him," are any proofs of "recklessness" or "flippancy."

LIFE REVIEWED AND DEATH SURVEYED: A SERMON PREACHED ON THE OCCASION OF THE DEATH OF MR. WILLIAM POPE, BAPTIST MINISTER, MEOPHAM, WITH A SHORT ACCOUNT OF HIS LIFE AND DEAth. BY JOHN COX. Pp. 108. London: Nisbet & Co.

The Sermon in this little volume is excellent, and the Biography is very interesting and affecting. Both together present a beautiful, and at the same time instructive and consoling memorial of one, not the highest praise of whom is, that "there was nothing artificial or affected about him, either in his living days or dying hours." We understand that the profits of the publication will be devoted to the use of the bereaved family.

THE TRUTH OR FALSEHOOD OF CHRISTIANITY-WHICH IS IT? A LECTURE de

LIVERED BEFORE THE NEWCASTLE AND
GATESHEAD YOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN
ASSOCIATION INSTITUTE. BY THE REV.
T. POTTENGER. Pp. 24. London: Benj.
L. Green.

We have already given our hearty commendation to Mr. Pottenger's former tracts, and have pleasure in expressing equal'approval of the one now before us. We cannot but think that the extensive circulation of such tracts as this, in all our more populous districts, would be a most important means of counteracting the influence of the infidel literature which is being spread so widely.

THE BAND OF HOPE REVIEW, AND SUNDAY SCHOLAR'S FRIEND. Nos. 1 to 6. Published Monthly. London: Partridge and Oakey.

We have pleasure in giving our cordial commendation to this capital little publication. It has "been commenced with a view to counteract, to some extent, the wide-spread influence of the cheap immoral prints now teeming from the press, and at the same time to promote a love for Bible truths, and the adoption of Temperance and Peace Principles." We are glad to welcome so excellent a co-worker in the promotion of objects we have ourselves so much at heart.

Recent Publications.

The Temple of Truth. Its Wonders, its Worshipers, and its Witnesses. A Great Exhibition Tract. By John Cox. (London: Ward and Co.)

A Letter to Sunday Scholars Everywhere; from an affectionate Friend. (Pp. 16. London: Benjamin L. Green.)

The Child of Faith; or, A Brief Memoir of Thomas P, who died March 22, 1850, aged eleven years. (Pp. 28. London: Benjamin L. Green.)

have reached a haven of rest from the perils of the sea. During his absence I had grown, from a mere child and baby of my mother's for I was her youngest-into a

rough, careless, and headstrong boy. Her gentle voice no longer restrained me. I was often wilful, and sometimes disobedient. I thought it indicated manly superiority to be independent of a woman's influence. My father's return was a fortunate circumstance for me. He soon perceived the spirit of insubordination stirring within me. I saw by his manner that it displeased him, although, for a few days, he said nothing to me about it.

It was an afternoon in October, bright and golden, that my father told me to get my hat and take a walk with him. We turned down a narrow lane into a fine open field-a favourite play-ground for the children in the neighbourhood. After talking cheerfully on different topics for a while, my father asked me if I observed that huge shadow, thrown by a mass of rocks that stood in the middle of the field. I replied that I did.

"My father owned this land," said he. "It was my play-ground when a boy. That rock stood there then. To me it is a beacon, and whenever I look at it, I recall a dark spot in my life-an event so painful to dwell upon, that if it were not as a warning to you I should not speak of it. Listen, then, my boy, and learn wisdom from your father's errors.

"My father died when I was a mere child. I was the only son. My mother was a gentle, loving woman, devoted to her children, and beloved by every body. I remember her pale, beautiful face-her sweet, affectionate smile-her kind and tender voice. In my childhood I loved her intensely; I was never happy apart from her, and she, fearing that I was becoming too much of a baby, sent me to the high school in the village. After associating a time with rude, rough boys, I lost, in a measure, my fondness for home, and my reverence for my mother, and it became more and more difficult for her to restrain my impetuous nature. I thought it an indication of manliness to resist her authority, or to appear to feel penitent, although I knew that my conduct pained her. The epithet I most dreaded was girl-boy. I could not bear to hear it said by my companions that I was tied to my mother's apron-strings. From a quiet, home-loving child, I soon became a wild, roistering boy. My dear mother used every persuasion to induce me to seek happiness within the precincts of home. She exerted herself to make our fireside

attractive, and my sister, following her selfsacrificing example, sought to entice me by planning games and diversions for my entertainment. I saw all this, but I did not heed it.

He

"It was on an afternoon like this, that, as I was about leaving the dining-table, to spend the intermission, between morning and evening school, in the street, as usual, my mother laid her hand on my shoulder, and said mildly but firmly, 'My son, I wish you to come with me.' I would have rebelled, but something in her manner awed me. She put on her bonnet, and said to me, 'We will take a little walk together.' I followed her in silence; and, as I was passing out of the door, I observed one of my rude companions skulking about the house, and I knew he was waiting for me. sneered as I passed him. My pride was wounded to the quick. He was a very bad boy, but being some years older than myself, he exercised a great influence o verme. followed my mother sulkily, till we reached the spot where we now stand, beneath the shadow of this huge rock. Oh, my boy, could that hour be blotted from my memory, which has cast a dark shadow over my whole life, gladly would I exchange all that the world can offer me for the quiet peace of mind I should enjoy. But, no! like this huge, unsightly pile stands the monument of my guilt forever.

I

"My mother, being feeble in health, sat down and beckoned me to sit beside her. Her look, so full of tender sorrow, is present to me now. I would not sit, but continued standing sullenly beside her. 'Alfred, my dear son,' said she, 'have you lost all love for your mother?' I did not reply. I fear you have,' she continued; 'and may God help you to see your own heart, and me to do my duty! She then talked to me of my misdeeds, of the dreadful consequences of the course I was pursuing. By tears, and entreaties, and prayers, she tried to make an impression upon me. She placed before me the lives and examples of great and good men; she sought to stimulate my ambition. I was moved, but too proud to shew it, and remained standing in dogged silence beside her. I thought 'what will my companions say, if, after all my boasting, I yield at last, and submit to be led by a woman?'

"What agony was visible on my mother's face, when she saw that all she had said and suffered failed to move me! She rose