lie down and slumber, secure from the weariness of earth; then, after the world's last grave of fire, you shall rise sanctified, glorified, to sleep in the grave no longer, to fear death no more, to live in heaven with God and his angels and saints for ever.American Episcopal Recorder.

"WHERE ARE THE NINE?"

I observed an amiable wife come to the Lord's table. It was the first time she had ever been there, but her equally amiable husband sat under the gallery alone, with a look of solicitude and anxiety. He had always come in and sat with her in the house of God at other times, but in this instance he left her to go alone in the way of duty.

She had lingered long for him, and tried each fond endearment to win him to the house of God and to Christ. She had succeeded in the former; he accompanied her to the house of prayer, but not to Christ. He loved her as his nobler life; but his love to her could not overcome his aversion to repentance, faith, and duty. With her he had enjoyed great and equal privileges; with her he had stood amid the same afflicting providences, and listened to the same expostulations from an affectionate and faithful pastor; yet he lingered behind, and left her, his weak and timid partner, to go alone to Christ. Was it discourtesy or coolness to her? No! but it was such, and more than this, to Jesus.

I saw parents at that table also, whose children were left behind; children whose parents and friends, whose companions, were left behind. I saw many of those

who were very closely united by the ties of blood and affection, persons who had always been intimate elsewhere, separate on this occasion. It was a sad sight to look upon; and as I mused, I imagined I saw re-enacted the ingratitude of the nine lepers. I could hear the Saviour renew the enquiry, "Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine ?" Did I not give to that husband all the privileges I gave to his wife? The wife is here to give me glory, but where is her husband? Did I not surround all the other parties with the same blessings? but while the parents are here, where are the children? While the children are here, where are the parents? While the friend is here, where is his companion? The pastor looked sad as he cast his eye upon the delinquents. Ministering spirits seemed to me to bend over them in tender solicitude, and Jesus also to cast upon them a kind, upbraiding glauce; but still they

relent not.

Let us pass to another scene. Ages have rolled away; the heavens have waxed old and disappeared, and God's abode, with its judgment-throne, and mighty arches and bowing principalities, becomes visible. The long-neglected Jesus himself descends. The dead in Christ arise; and here, among the happy immortals, is the pious wife, but where is her husband? Here is the parent,

but where is the child? The child is here, but where is the parent? The friend is here, but where is his companion? Those that are not found in the walks of piety on earth, are not found among the blessed on this joyous morning, that dawns at last on the long night of death. "Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine ?"

WOMAN IN THE CHURCH. [We do not like to refuse woman liberty to write in her own cause in our "Church;" but if no one else takes up the subject, we shall shew next month that she certainly ought not to speak in the church.]-EDs.

Woman being first in the transgression, and more deeply degraded by the fall than man, owes more than he for personal redemption. Having had much forgiven, her obligation is to love much; and for

this she is fitted by her Maker, who has endowed her with stronger affections than the other sex.

Contrasting the condition of christian women with that of females degraded by the superstitions of Paganism and of Popery, the love due from the former to Christ, their deliverer, is great indeed. How precious to such as feel the strength of their obligations, is the promise in Acts ii. 17, 18. And how strange that any precept of the law taught by the apostle Paul should be

understood in a sense opposed to that promise, when it is evident from Gal. iii. 20, that he never placed the law in opposition to the promises. The apostle's design in enjoining silence upon woman in the church, could not be to throw obstacles in the way of believing females, to prevent their looking for large measures of grace, and of the spirit of prayer; nor to discourage those who possessed the spirit of prayer and the gift of utterance, from exercising those gifts in the social meetings of the church; for if so, neither the prayers of Hannah, nor the praises of Mary and Elizabeth, would have been recorded for examples to the church. Neither could the apostle intend to prevent the daughters of Zion, who are taught in the word, from freely communicating the knowledge they have received; for if so, no portion of God's word could have been communicated through the ministry of females. God has frequently honoured the instrumentality of women who have spoken his word, by making it effectual in the conversion of sinners, and to the edification of his people, which he would not have done, if they had not been chosen messengers of that word. The conversion of sinners, and the sanctification of believers, is the work of the Holy Spirit, who works only through divinely appointed means. The speaking of females, which Paul forbids in the churches of Christ, must then be something opposed to supreme love to Christ, and universal love to man; for it is evident from 1 Cor. xiv. 34, that what he forbids, was forbidden by the law; and he testifies (Gal. v. 23), that against such as are led by the Spirit "there is no law." And in 1 Tim. viii. 9, "We know that the law is good if a man use it lawfully; knowing this, that the law was not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly, and for sinners."

Anna was not blamed by the Holy Ghost for giving thanks in the temple, nor for speaking of Christ to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem. Neither did Jesus find fault with the woman of Samaria for saying to the men of the city, "Come, see a man who told me all things that ever I did; is not this the Christ ?" But Miriam was stricken with leprosy, for speaking against Moses the servant of God; and the church of Thyatira was censured for suffering" that woman, Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce

the servants of Christ to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed to idols." In Christ Jesus there is neither male nor female. Each talent possessed by the members of His body is a part of the purchased inheritance to be appropriated to the benefit of His church; each, therefore, ought to be appreciated, improved, and rendered subservient to this end: "Ye are not your own." Each minor, whether male or female, in the family of God, should be willing to learn of those who, by their superior knowledge in the things of God, are able to teach them the way of the Lord more perfectly; and each, when thus instructed, should be willing to impart what they have learned for the benefit of others: "For ye are bought with a price, therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." (1 Cor. vi. 20.)

Happy will the church be, when all its eloquent men, mighty in the scriptures, are as humble as was Apollos,-when, as in his case, it is discovered that their knowledge is imperfect; and happy will it be when those of its members as are able to teach them the way of God more perfectly, are encouraged to act like Aquilla and Pricilla. Still better will it be when the spirit of the Apostle's injunction against feminine speeches in the church is so well understood and enforced, as to put to silence all wrong teaching, foolish talking, vain wrangling, unprofitable and injurious conversation, in the assemblies of the saints.

ELIZABETH.

TEMPERANCE-PROFESSORS OF RELIGION.

But few, probably, who profess the religion of Christ, would be willing, at this day, to acknowledge that they were opposed to the temperance cause; and yet it is a lamentable fact, that considerable numbers in the household of faith are, in one form or another, exerting an influence against it. Some love still to indulge now and then in a social glass; others are making money in the traffic; a number are renting buildings in which to carry on the business; and not a few, perhaps, stand with folded arms, and ask if they are their brother's keeper. God commands, Christ entreats, and suffering humanity pleads; and still the response is, Am I my brother's keeper ?

The christian is one who is willing to make sacrifices for the good of others,—one

who follows the example of his Master in acts of self-denial and kindness, and, with the apostle, says, that if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no more meat while the world stands. Self-denial is inscribed on his banner, and written in characters not easily effaced on all he has ; and as he looks upon its ample folds, and beholds the letters of light, he remembers the injunction, Take up thy cross; and he rejoices in the opportunity which permits him to manifest his love for his Master. Without this state of heart, he may profess christianity; but with it he may be a christian.

But this spirit does not actuate all of Israel. There are some who, in regard to the subject of temperance, appear to be influenced by a different motive. The question with them is not, What, Lord, wilt thou have me to do? but, Am I called upon to deny myself the gratification of taking a glass of wine occasionally, or to forego the profits of the traffic, that I may be in a better situation to exert an influence in saving the drunkard's soul, or averting from his family the blow which awaits them? True, my Master went about doing good, not only speaking sins forgiven, but in various ways alleviating the bodily sufferings of the people; but I like to be independent, and to drink and sell if I please. True, no drunkard can enter heaven; but if he perish, he perishes; am I my brother's keeper? Multitudes carry out in their lives these sentiments, who would recoil from giving them utterance with their lips.

There are several tests by which duty may be made very plain to him who desires to know it. It would be safe to act as it may be supposed the Saviour would under similar circumstances. If he would refrain from doing anything calculated to promote the traffic, then it would be not only safe, but duty to follow such example. A christian should engage in no business upon which he cannot ask God to set the seal of his approbation. This proposition will be assented to by all; and yet, tested by this rule, where will multitudes stand? Could the professing distiller, the wholesale or retail dealer, ask the Lord to bless them in their respective callings? Can the wholesale dealer, as he rolls out the barrel of whiskey to be sold to the retailer, kneel down over the poison, and ask God's blessing on the sale? Or can the retailer, as he

hands the bottle to the father of some suffering family, lift his eyes to heaven, and ask the God of peace to bless the act? Can the professor, who rents his building to one that pollutes it with the traffic, as he counts over his money, and puts it carefully away in the drawer, fall down and ask the Father of mercies to bless him and his wealth, sprinkled all over as it is with the blood of souls? How could the Israelite, as he let his unruly ox loose upon the community, ask the God of Jacob to bless him in the act? What christian could offer such prayers? Ask God to bless them in making drunkards, widows, orphans, paupers, fiends! Ask God to bless them in furnishing the means to madden the brain, to impel to acts of violence and death! Ask God to bless them in acts which bid defiance to his commands !

The fact is undeniable, that one of the principal hindrances to the progress of the temperance cause is the conduct of professors of religion. So long as they continue to treat as moral and right the use of intoxicating drinks, so long multitudes will believe they are not doing wrong by indulging in their use. Such individuals are influenced by the evidence which meets them at every corner of the streets, rather than by a law which is seldom consulted. The character and demands of the law are estimated by its supposed exemplification in its avowed supporters; and when they give their neighbours strong drink, it is difficult to convince them that God's law does denounce the act. The word of God may thunder in their ears, the minister may preach the claims of that law, and the real friends of Christ may exhibit it in their lives; yet if any considerable number of those who wear the livery of heaven, by precept and example, teach the contrary, its influence leads multitudes into sin.

It is a solemn thing to profess the religion of Christ. Its obligations and duties are not trifles. Influence and example, when viewed in their relations to eternity and the souls of men, assume increased importance. The simple look or word may be the means of turning a soul into the path that leads to death. The example of to-day, however trivial it may appear now, travels on before us to the judgment, and will be felt while the throne of God exists.

F. V.

THE LIBRARY FOR THE TIMES. THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND IN THE REIGNS OF JAMES I. AND CHARLES I. Pp. 126. London: Albert Cockshaw.

This little volume constitutes the third portion of a History of the Church of England, issued under the auspices of the Publication Committee of the Anti-StateChurch Association. We welcome the appearance of these well-compiled and interesting manuals, and shall be glad to hear of their extensive circulation, especially amongst our young men. We venture to suggest that the appendage of the author's name, as no doubt they are by a writer of competent ability, would be a guarantee of the care used in their compilation, and would perhaps tend to increase their sale.

THE PROVINCIAL LETTERS OF BLAISE PASCAL. Pp. 288. London: Wm. Collins. The "Provincial Letters" are too well known and too highly valued to need any recommendation of ours. They contain perhaps the most powerful exposure that has ever been written of the errors and tricks of the Jesuits; and they are written in a style at once so earnest and humourous, as to justify the opinion of a great Frenchman, that they "combine the wit of Moliere with the sublimity of Bossuet." The present edition is one of Mr. Collins's admirable cheap series, and is introduced by a well compiled and interesting life of the author.

THE SUSTENTATION OF CHRISTIAN MINISTERS. BY JOHN CRAPS. Pp. 16. London: Houlston and Stoneman.

In a letter to a friend Mr. Craps here defends the propriety of ministers engaging in secular pursuits. He examines the passages of scripture usually quoted in favour of the view which confines ministers to

exclusively ministerial engagements, and then considers: 1. How the apostle Paul was supported. 2. The reasons why the apostle laboured with his own hands for a subsistence. 3. Paul's direction to ministers of the gospel on the subject. 4. What the scriptures teach on the subject respecting other ministers of the gospel. 5. That the scriptures do not contain one welldefined instance, after the giving of the great commission, of a minister of the gospel being entirely separated from secular employment, and wholly dependant on the gifts of the church for his support.

NOTES ON PASSING EVENTS, Nos. 1 AND 2. LETTERS TO A ROMANIST, Nos. 1 TO 7. BY A QUIET LOOKER-ON. Scarborough: A. Russell.

With the exception of the first of these tracts, which is a very spirited appeal to Lord Londesborough on his encouragement of horse racing, with its usual demoralizing accompaniments, at Scarborough, they are all on the subject of the day-Popery. "On the Tendency of Romanism," "The Doctrines of Popery as Taught by the Church of Rome," "The Supremacy of the Pope," "Auricular Confession," "The Worship of the Virgin Mary," "Saints, Images, and Relics," "The Doctrines of Purgatory and Prayers for the Dead." The 66 Quiet Looker-on" is evidently, we think, a Baptist minister at Scarborough, well known to our readers. We can at least commend the series, as popular yet conclusive in style and reasoning, and well calculated for general distribution. We observe, with regret, that there is no London publisher, but hope the writer will be induced to publish the whole series in a volume, and to give it the advantage of being obtainable through a London house.

young heart, so early stricken, opened her eyes, that beamed with celestial hope, and looked round upon her friends with so sweet a smile, faintly murmured, “Jesus," and then-slept.

It was just at evening, one day about the

middle of June, when a little boy, perhaps eight years old, came to the door and said, "Mother wishes you, please, to come to our house." "Who is your mother?" I asked. "Mrs. Ray," was the reply. "What does your mother want?" I enquired. "Sister Emma is sick," was his answer; "is very sick, and wishes you would come and see her;" and the tears forced themselves down his cheek, in spite of his evident attempt to keep them back.

He mentioned the street where they lived, and I said, "Well, I'll come round there this evening, and see your mother and Emma." The boy turned slowly away, a step or two, then stopped, looked up in my face and said, while his lip quivered, and the tears started afresh, "I wish you could go now?" "I will go now," I replied. In a moment I was ready, and, taking the little fellow's hand, hastened along with him.

We were soon at the door, and entered the kitchen. There was no one present. The little boy handed me a chair, and then went into the next room. I looked around; it was evidently the abode of poverty, and, no doubt, of sorrow. dilapidated house, the old, worn, and shattered furniture, seemed to wear a forced and almost painful appearance of neatness, like a smile that hides heart-eating grief.

The

In the next room there was Emma, the sick child; and there, too, I supposed, was her mother, watching over her, and I heard also the voice of a man. It might be her father, or it might be her physician, or perhaps some friend come in to see her.

But a moment after all doubt was dissipated, as the voice rose louder and harsher, "She shall, too; so get up, now. What's the use of laying there all day, when she's well enough to be up ?" The sound of the mother's voice could be heard in expostulation; and I wondered if Mr. Ray was a drunkard.

"Get up, this minute," growled out the savage father, "and I'll see if you won't mind." I stepped to the door and opened it. The mother held a bowl of medicine for the sick child in one hand; with the other she attempted to restrain the father from any act of violence to his child.

"Don't, John," she said; "you know Emma is sick, and isn't able to get up. Don't act so." He pushed her roughly away, spilling the drink from her bowl, and, without perceiving me, caught the

child's hand to enforce his brutal authority.

Stepping forward, I laid my hand rather suddenly upon his shoulder. He turned, gazed at me with a half stupid stare, and muttered," He'd see if his children couldn't be made to mind-have 'em lying abed all day"-and in a few minutes the intoxicated man left the room.

Little Emma hid her face in the pillow, and sobbed with shame and grief.

I sat down by her side, took her hand, and spoke kindly to her; the mother wiped a few tears from her own cheek, seated herself, and drew her little boy to her lap. We talked of sickness and of the Saviour, of living and of dying, of the weary pilgrimage of earth, and the blessed rest of heaven.

Emma was a christian. From her mother's instructions, and the kind and faithful labours of her Sabbath-school teacher, she had learned of the Saviour, and been able to believe in him and to love him. Poor child!-happy child, rather. She was soon to go home; soon to see Him, whom, not having seen, she had loved. With a frail constitution, she had never enjoyed the health and buoyancy that give joy to childhood. Could she have been tenderly cared for, nursed, and favoured, she might have lived, blessed and a blessing. But want and exposure had nourished disease, and aggravated every premonition of her early decline. Oh, how like a canker it had eaten into her mother's heart, as, day by day, and month by month, she had watched her tender lamb, chilled and shivering, beneath the storms of life, from which she had no power to shelter or protect her, and knew that she was wasting away, and sinking into the grave. And the father-what shall we say of the father? God forgive him.

No matter; it was all right. Emma said it was. She would be with the angels soon; and she knew it wouldn't be long before her poor mother would come too. And her father-oh, if she could only think that he would come also! That was the only thorn in her dying pillow. She scarcely thought of death. Of earth she thought, and did not grieve that she was to leave the sorrows that she had tasted so bitterly. Of heaven she thought, where the rivers of life gently flow, and the good Shepherd leads his flock; that was her home, and she hasted to it,