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upon them "like a snare." It is commonly thought they are unwilling to have that sleep disturbed; but how seldom is it attempted! The missionary-meeting is thronged with earnest and interested hearers; the Sunday-school filled with kind and pious teachers; and the cottages of the poor continually frequented by anxious and disinterested visitors: but how seldom is this anxiety for the salvation of others displayed in the immediate circle of social influence! The kind acquaintance, the long- tried friend, and even the beloved relation, are but too often suffered to tread the downward path for years, without one word of remonstrance, one affectionate entreaty or expostulation. It is true that the Holy Spirit alone can change the heart of man; but it has not now to be said for the first time, that the Christian who makes that an excuse for withholding his own efforts, is like the husbandman who should refuse to sow the seed because he could not cause it to grow, or ensure the harvest. It pleases God sometimes that the seed should be sown without the aid of human means; that it should spring up far from all kindred soil, like the Shittah-tree in the desert; but oftener, perhaps, it seems good in his sight to employ the instrumentality of others; and it is the bounden duty of the people of God to view all unconverted persons with whom they may associate, not with indifferenceas those differing from them in the object and pursuits of life, still less with dislike but with the sympathy with which the shipwrecked sailor brought safe to shore would view the sufferers yet clinging to the sinking vessel, and with the same anxiety that they also should be saved. Not that shipwrecked sailors can be compared to souls alienated from God, and under the dominion of sin; for the former are conscious of their danger, which the latter are not; they are rather like the inmates of a lonely house, asleep in perfect fearlessness of evil, whilst the waters of the swollen river, which has overflowed its banks, rise higher and higher, cutting off more effectually every moment the retreat of the unhappy inhabitants, who are insensible to the impending danger. The light that burns in the quiet room shews no movement within, betokening either their knowledge of their situation or their fear; all is hushed in calm and fatal security, until the flood shall come and take them all away (Luke, xvii.); or until perhaps, awakened too late, their cries for help shall be heard with awe by those who rest upon their beds in peace. Thus it is with all who have no hope in God: the flood of time rises higher and higher every hour, and will soon carry us away. Let it then be the desire of every Christian, that they who sleep the sleep which is the precursor of spiritual death, should be awakened. It is the office of the ministers of Christ to preach the Gospel; but it is also written, "Let him that heareth say, Come."

But if it is the duty of a Christian to be thus intent upon the welfare of others, he is also especially called to watch upon his own post. A warfare, a race, a pilgrimage, are comparisons continually made use of in the Bible to describe the situation of the people of God in this world; each of them denoting danger, privation, and the necessity of constant exertion. Watch, then, through all the trying scenes of life; watch for the hour of death; watch for the day of judgment. "Religion," as it has been remarked, “ is the tie which binds man to God, and implies both a knowledge and love of him." The Christian, then, lives in the world mindful of God; he is awake to his purposes, so far as they are disclosed in the written word, with respect to the present circumstances and future destination of man. The veiled Fates, whom the heathen set up as queens over the destiny of the human race, have lost but little of their power in the eyes of those who, far from regarding the world as under the government of God, refer all things to the

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operation of secondary causes, and are apt to allege for the vicissitudes of events any reason except the determinate councils of Him against whose government they rebel. It is true the purposes of God are ordinarily effected by human agency; still, we are not to lose sight of his controlling power. We possess in the Bible a treasure of knowledge concerning the history of the world, and should not shut our eyes upon the past and present dealings of God towards man, as though it was a matter which concerned us not. Our ear perhaps is not open to hear the trumpets of prophecy whilst they are sounding; but we are permitted to trace the majestic march of events, which has long brought to pass the things concerning which it was written that they "should be;" and to watch with deep attention the course of human affairs, which appear to tend towards the hastening of those of which it is still written that they "shall be." It is, however, still more profitable and useful to ourselves to be observant of the providence of God as relates to the daily occurrences of life. This knowledge is not only desirable for its excellency, but for the peace and comfort it instils into the heart. Our Saviour has said, " Even the very hairs of your head are all numbered:" we cannot therefore for a moment doubt, that we have a right to console ourselves with the assurance that God is ever watching over us. If we studied the lives of individuals recorded in the Bible, we should find them replete with lessons upon this subject; and we should there see every_thing ascribed to the ordering of God. The life of David, being given more at length than that of most others, is full of instruction; and it is a useful study, especially for those who are careful and troubled about many things, to note the several occurrences recorded concerning him, and compare them with the Psalms of mingled prayer and thanksgiving which he composed upon those occasions such as the following: 1 Sam. xxii. 1, Ps. lvii.; 1 Sam. xix. 2, Ps. lix.; 1 Sam. xxi. 10, Ps. lv. ; 2 Sam. viii. 3, 13, 1 Chron. xviii. 3, 12, 1 Sam. xxiii. 14, 15, Ps. Ixiii. Amongst the number with which the Bible abounds, the life of Hezekiah might also be selected as an example of the many practical lessons which may be learnt from studying scriptural biography. When he ascended the throne, strong in the confidence he reposed in God, we see him setting at nought the favour or the fear of man, cutting down the groves, destroying the images, and removing the high places, although he must by so doing have drawn down upon himself the hatred and enmity of numbers,—and breaking off all alliance with the heathen nations, according to the commandment (Deut. vii. 2, 4), although the almost certain consequences were the immediate invasion of his territories; " and the Lord was with him, and he prospered." For fourteen years he appears to have reigned in peace. So greatly was he favoured, that we see him interceding with God for the pardon of the people, and he was heard (2 Chron. xxx. 20). But when Sennacherib, with a mighty host, came against him, the faith of the king of Judah failed; and he rested his hope of deliverance, not upon God, but upon himself, and purposed to buy the forbearance of the Assyrian king with a tribute of gold and silver. But when this vain resource failed, and the heathen host encamped near Jerusalem, Hezekiah, in the extremity of his danger, returned unto the Lord, and sought and found deliverance (2 Kings, xix. 14, 20) : thus exemplifying the words of the prophet Jeremiah (xvii. 5-8). We next behold him sick unto death, and receiving from the prophet the warning that he should "not live ;" but Hezekiah turned his face unto the wall, and prayed; and before the prophet had reached his own dwelling, he received a commandment to return, and announce the acceptance of the prayer; and Hezekiah joyfully praised the Lord. "It is exceeding pleasant," says Flavel, in his excellent treatise

upon the mystery of Providence," to behold the resurrection of our own prayers and hopes as from the dead;" but, alas, when they rise up in the likeness of blessings, we are apt not to recognise them. The giving of thanks is constantly inculcated upon us; "Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving" (Col. iv. 2). There is often, however, a great disproportion between our prayers and our thanksgivings; we continually sit down in the quiet enjoyment of the very things we have prayed for, without one grateful acknowledgment for them. Like the nine lepers, we go away healed, without returning to give glory to God; and this, not so much perhaps from want of faith, as from want of Christian watchfulness; that the events of life pass us by, not indeed unnoticed-for we are anxious and careful enoughbut not looked upon through the glass of God's providence, with a view to their design, or their effect upon us, or our right use and improvement of them. has been said,

"Salvation

Comes mounted on the wings of meditation ;"

It

and certainly vigilance is an absolute requisite in Christians, as well to enjoy their privileges as to improve them. There are several other incidents in the life of Hezekiah capable of affording us practical lessons in the common duties and temptations of every-day life; but the subject is too extensive to be more than slightly alluded to in the limits of these columns.

Our

Acknowledging the total dependence of man upon God, and living in the remembrance of it, let us also watch in the ordinary concerns of life to do what God requires of us. As no events should be referred to secondary causes only, so no actions should be done with a view to secondary motives. To please God in all things should be the constant endeavour of a Christian: "whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men." The lives of the generality of individuals pass away in trifling actions; but to him who is on the watch to do them as unto God, they are no longer trifling; nor are they even so in themselves as regards mankind. The vast amount of human sin and transgression may be said to be composed of the atoms of individual character. Saviour hath said, "he that is not with me is against me; he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad." There is no neutrality: if we are not employed in doing good both to ourselves and others, we are certainly employed in doing mischief, whether we know it or not: we are either contributing the mite of our individual character to the advancement of holiness, to the spread of that light which, Christ has commanded, should shine before men, that they may see our good works, and glorify our Father which is in heaven; or we are putting out our hand, however feeble and slight its force may be, to help the multitude who are dragging the triumphal car of the idol Mammon through the world. As it is among the common duties and ordinary concerns of life we are daily tempted to serve sin, it is amongst them we must watch against it. The faithful porter who keeps the gate does not probably expect an army to besiege his master's dwelling. Temptation does not always come in the likeness of an overwhelming host: it oftener presents itself day by day amongst common cares and common duties. One sin, however small, which is constantly admitted and indulged, is like a traitor in a garrison, who, if he be but a child, can open the door to the mighty enemy without. To be effectual, this watchfulness must also be persevering the Christian who is apt to lay it aside, is like a man who has been long rowing against the stream, and, pausing to rest upon his oars, is suddenly carried far back again by the strength of the current. It must also be in the spirit of constant dependence upon God, a daily "looking George Herbert.

unto Jesus;" the faithful watch must be a watch unto prayer. Still this should be an incitement to diligence, not indolence, in our Christian calling: we know that all the bones of our frame were knit together by him; that in him "we live, and move, and have our being;" and without him we could not draw another breath; yet we do not hesitate to make ample use of all our physical powers directly there is a desired object to be attained. So let it be with the faculties of our soul: we know they are entirely dependent upon God, and that we cannot "come to Christ," nor walk in his ways, "except the Father draw us;" yet our Saviour hath said, "Seek, strive, watch." Let us then be earnest, active, diligent, to grow both in Christian grace and knowledge, and to make a good use of our time and opportunities, and of every gift which has been entrusted to us, that we may be enabled to say, "Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents besides them." And while we confess, with the deepest humility, that without Christ we can do nothing, let us also rejoice in the assured confidence that "all things are possible to him that believeth."

THE CAMEL.*

With

Of all animals, the camel perhaps is most exactly adapted both to those peculiar regions of the earth in which it is principally, if not exclusively, found; and to those purposes for which it is usually employed by man, to whose wants indeed it is so completely accommodated, and apparently so incapable of existing without his superintendence, that while, on the one hand, we find the camel described in the earliest records of history, and in every subsequent period, as in a state of subjugation to man, and employed for precisely the same purposes as at the present day; on the other hand, it does not appear that the species has ever existed in a wild or independent state. scarcely any natural means of defence, and nearly useless in the scheme of creation, (as far as we can judge,) unless as the slave of man, it forms a remarkable parallel to the sheep, the ox, and other of the ruminating species, which are also rarely, if ever, found but under the protection of man, and to that protection alone are indebted, indeed, for their existence as a distinct species. Let us compare, then, the form, and structure, and moral qualities of the camel, with the local character of the regions in which it is principally found; and with the nature of the services exacted of it by man. The sandy deserts of Arabia are the classical country of the camel; but it is also extensively employed in various other parts of Asia, and in the north of Africa: and the constant communication that exists between the tribes which border on the intervening sea of sand could only be maintained by an animal possessing such qualities as characterise the camel-" the ship of the desert," as it has emphatically been called. Laden with the various kinds of merchandise which are the object of commerce in that region of the world, and of which a part often passes from the most easterly countries of Asia to the extreme limits of western Europe, and from thence even across the Atlantic to America, this extraordinary animal pursues its steady course over burning sands during many successive weeks. And not only is it satisfied with the scanty herbage which it gathers by the way, but often passes many days without meeting with a single spring of water in which to slake its thirst. In explanation of its fitness, as a beast of burden, for such desert tracts of sand, its feet and its stomach are the points in its structure which are principally calculated to arrest our attention and its feet are not less remarkably accommodated to the road over which it travels, than is the structure of its

• From Dr. Kidd's Bridgewater Treatise.

:

stomach to the drought of the region through which that road passes. The foot of the camel, in fact, is so formed, that the camel would be incapable of travelling with any ease or steadiness over either a rough or a stony surface; and equally incapable is it of travelling for any long continuance over moist ground, in consequence of the inflammation produced in its limbs from the effect of moisture. It is observed by Cuvier, that these circumstances in its physical history, and not the incapability of bearing a colder temperature, account for the fact, that while the sheep, the ox, the dog, the horse, and some other species, have accompanied the migrations of man from his aboriginal seat in central Asia to every habitable part of the globe, the camel still adheres to the desert. And now observe how its interior structure meets the difficulty of a region where water is rarely found. As in the case of all other animals which ruminate or chew the cud, the stomach of the camel consists of several compartments, of which one is divided into numerous distinct cells, capable of collectively containing such a quantity of water as is sufficient for the ordinary consumption of the animal during many days. And, as opportunities occur, the camel instinctively replenishes this reservoir; and is thus enabled to sustain a degree of external drought, which would be destructive to all other animals but such as have a similar structure: nor is any other animal of the old world known to possess this peculiar structure. But if we pass to the inhabited regions of the Andes in the new world, we there meet with several species of animals, as the lama, the vigogna, and the alpaca, which, though much smaller than the camel, correspond generally in their anatomy with that animal, and particularly with reference to the 'structure of the stomach they resemble also the camel in docility; and, to complete the parallel, they were employed by the aboriginal inhabitants in the new world for the same purposes as the camel in the old.

Of the two species of camel, the Bactrian and Arabian, the latter is that with the history of which we are best acquainted; and though there is reason to believe, that whatever is said of the qualities of the one might with truth be affirmed of the other also, on the present occasion whatever is said is referable to the Arabian species. The camel, then, not only consumes less food than the horse, but can sustain more fatigue. A large camel is capable of carrying from seven to twelve hundred weight, and travelling with that weight on its back, at the rate of above ten leagues in each day. The small courier-camel, carrying no weight, will travel thirty leagues in each day, provided the ground be dry and level. Individuals of each variety will subsist for eight or ten successive days on dry thorny plants; but after this period require more nutritious food, which is usually supplied in the form of dates and various artificial preparations; though, if not so supplied, the camel will patiently continue its course, till nearly the whole of the fat of which the boss on its back consists is absorbed ; whereby that protuberance becomes, as it were, obliterated. The camel is equally patient of thirst as of hunger; and this happens, no doubt, in consequence of the supply of fluid which it is capable of obtaining from the peculiar reservoir contained in its stomach. It possesses, moreover, a power and delicacy in the sense of smell, (to that sense at least such a power

The Bactrian species, which has two bosses on its back, is more peculiar to Tartary and northern Asia. The Arabian, which has only one boss, is not confined to the country from which it is named, but is the same species with that which prevails in northern Africa. As in the case of all domesticated animals, the varieties of these two species are numerous: and it is a variety of the Arabian species, of a small height, to which the ancients gave the name of dromedary, from its employment as a courier; but in the magnificent work of St. Hilaire and Cuvier (Hist. Nat. des Mammifères), the term dromedary is adopted, in a specific sense, for all the varieties of the Arabian camel.

is most naturally referable,) by which, after having thirsted seven or eight days, it perceives the existence of water at a very considerable distance; and it manifests this power by running directly to the point where the water exists. It is obvious that this faculty is exerted as much to the benefit of their drivers, and the whole suite of the caravan, as of the camels themselves. Such are some of the leading advantages derived to man from the physical structure and powers of this animal. Nor are those advantages of slight moment which are derived from its docile and patient disposition. It is no slight advantage, for instance, considering the great height of the animal, which usually exceeds six or seven feet, that the camel is easily taught to bend down its body on its limbs, in order to be laden; and, indeed, if the weight to be placed on its back be previously so distributed as to be balanced on an intervening yoke of a convenient form, it will spontaneously direct its neck under the yoke, and afterwards transfer the weight to its back. But it would be found, upon pursuing the history of the camel, that, while under the point of view which has been just considered, this animal contributes more largely to the advantages of mankind than any other species of the ruminating order, it scarcely is inferior to any one of those species with respect to other advantages on account of which they are principally valuable. Thus, the Arab obtains from the camel not only milk, and cheese, and butter, but he ordinarily also eats its flesh, and fabricates its hair into clothing of various kinds. The very refuse indeed of the digested food of the animal is the principal fuel of the desert; and from the smoke of this fuel is obtained the well-known substance called sal ammoniac, which is very extensively employed in the arts; and of which, indeed, formerly, the greater part met with in commerce was obtained from this source alone, as may be implied from its very name.*

The Cabinet.

CONFORMITY TO CHRIST.-If we have in us any truth and sincerity, and do not vainly prevaricate in our profession of being Christ's disciples, and votaries of that holy institution, let us manifest it by a real conformity to the practice of him who is our Master, and Author of our faith. If we have in us any wisdom, or sober consideration of things, let us employ it in following the steps of that infallible guide, designed by heaven to lead us in the straight, even, and pleasant ways of righteousness, unto the possession of everlasting bliss. If we do verily like and approve the practice of Christ, and are affected with the innocent, sweet, and lovely comeliness thereof, let us declare such our mind by a sedulous care to resemble it. If we bear any honour and reverence, any love and affection to Christ; if we are at all sensible of our relations, our manifold obligations, our duties, to our great Lord, our best Friend, our most gracious Redeemer; let us testify it by a zealous care to become like to him,. let a lively image of his most righteous and innocent, most holy and pious, most pure and spotless life be ever present to our fancies; so as to form our judgments, to excite our affections, to quicken our endeavours, to regulate our purposes, to correct our mistakes, to direct, amend, and sanctify our whole lives. Let us with incessant diligence of study meditate on the best of histories, wherein the tenor of his divine practice is represented to us; revolving frequently in our thoughts all the most considerable passages thereof, entertaining them with devout passions, impressing them on our memories, and striving to express them in our conversations: let us endeavour continually to

Ammon, an ancient name of that part of the African desert situate to the west of Egypt, supplied formerly much of the sal ammoniac of commerce.

walk in the steps of our Lord, and "to follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth." Which that we may be able to do, do thou, O blessed Redeemer, draw us draw us by the cords of thy love-draw us by the sense of thy goodness-draw us by the incomparable worth and excellency of thy person-draw us by the unspotted purity and beauty of thy example-draw us by the merit of thy precious death, and by the power of thy Holy Spirit,-" draw us," good Lord, "and we shall run after thee."-Dr. Isaac Barrow.

THE BURDEN OF SIN.-As it happened to the paralytic man, so does it happen to us. When Christ had said to him," Thy sins are forgiven thee; arise and walk," he arose and took up his bed, and went to his home. Thus we too are naturally palsied and lame and halt with sin; but when Jesus says to us, "Repent, and your sins shall be forgiven," we too are strengthened and encouraged to arise and walk in the paths of righteousness. We leave our burden of sin behind us, and take up our bed, and carry it along with us; that is, in our duty we find our rest. Let none of you say within himself, "This is all very well for gross and open sinners; but it does not apply to decent, well-behaved persons, such as I am." "Remember that a man may sleep upon his burden instead of carrying it; and then to be sure he does not feel it. Yes, he may so sleep, and may even dream that he is moving onward; but he who moves only in a dream will not make much way. Besides, his dream must come to an end; he must awake at last. Does not St. John tell us, that "If a man say he has no sin, he deceives himself, and the truth is not in him?" Does not St. James say, "In many things we all offend?" Surely these texts are plain enough. He who has never felt the burden of his sins, and his need of pardon, will do well to ponder and consider them. Want of feeling is no proof of life and health, but the contrary.—Rev. A. W.

Hare.

Poetry.
AFFLICTION.

BY CHARLES BAYLY,

(For the Church of England Magazine.)

WHEN affliction casts o'er us her mantle of grief,
And sorrow and pain waste our spirits away,
In Jesus alone can the heart find relief,

To Jesus with patient devotion can pray.
Thou, Lord, wilt not suffer the penitent's cry
Unheard to ascend from his tear-moisten'd bed;
For thou in the moment of anguish art nigh
To all who to seek thee in earnest are led.

O, when fainting from pain we insensibly sink,
Let thy arm bear us up, and refresh us again;
From thy fountain of grace, dearest Lord, may we
drink,

Then to live will be pleasure, to die will be gain. And when these frail bodies to dust we resign,

And our spirits soar back to their glorified Lord, Cloth'd anew in immortal effulgence to shine, Let thy love be through ages eternal ador'd.

SUNDAY.

RETURN, thou wish'd and welcome guest,
Thou day of holiness and rest;
The best, the dearest of the seven,
Emblem and harbinger of heaven:

Though not the Bridegroom, at his voice,
Friend of the Bridegroom, still rejoice.
Day doubly sanctified and bless'd;
Thee the Creator crown'd with rest;
From all his works, from all his woes,
On thee the Saviour found repose.
Thou dost, with mystic voice, rehearse
The birth-day of an universe:
Prophet, historian, both in scope,
Thou speakest to memory and to hope.

Amidst the earthliness of life,
Vexation, vanity, and strife,
Sabbath, how sweet thy holy calm

Comes o'er the soul, like healing balm;
Comes like the dew to fainting flowers,
Renewing her enfeebl'd powers!
Thine hours, how soothingly they glide,
Thy morn, thy noon, thine eventide!

All meet as brethren, mix as friends;
Nature her general groan suspends;
No cares, no sin-born labourers tire;
F'en the poor brutes thou bidst respire:
'Tis almost as, restor'd awhile,
Earth had resum'd her Eden-smile.

I love thy call of earthly bells,
As on my waking ear it swells;
I love to see thy pious train
Seeking in groups the solemn fane:
But most I love to mingle there
In sympathy of praise and prayer,
And listen to that living word
Which breathes the Spirit of the Lord;
Or at thy mystic table placed
Those eloquent mementos taste
Of thee, thou suffering Lamb divine,
Thy soul-refreshing bread and wine ;
Sweet viands, kindly given to 'suage
The faintness of the pilgrimage!

Sever'd from Salem, while unstrung
His harp on pagan willows hung,
What wonder if the Psalmist pin'd,
As for her brooks the hunted hind,
The temple's humblest place would win,
Gladlier than all the pomp of sin;
Envied th' unconscious birds that sung
Around those altars o'er their young,
And deem'd one heavenly Sabbath worth
More than a thousand days of earth:
Well might his harp and heart rejoice
To hear once more that festal voice-
"Come, brethren, come, with glad accord,
Haste to the dwelling of the Lord!"

But if on earth, so calm, so blest,
The house of prayer, the day of rest;
If to the spirit when it faints,
So sweet the assembly of his saints;
There let us pitch our tents (we say),
For, Lord, with thee 'tis good to stay-
Yet from the mount we soon descend,
Too soon our earthly Sabbaths end;
Cares of a work-day world return,
And faint our hearts, and fitful burn -
O think, my soul, beyond compare,
Think what a Sabbath must be there,

Where all is holy bliss, that knows

Nor imperfection nor a close;
Where that innumerable throng
Of saints and angels mingle song;

Where, wrought with hands, no temples rise,
For God himself their place supplies;
Nor priests are needed in th' abode
Where the whole hosts are priests to God!
Think what a Sabbath there shall be,
The Sabbath of eternity!

REV. T. GRINfield.

Miscellaneous.

ST. SPIRIDIONE.-The principal church, or rather the cathedral of Corfu, which contains the relics of St. Spiridione, is superbly ornamented and enriched with many valuable paintings. There, too, the body of the saint is preserved entire within a shrine; and although he died in Cyprus seven hundred years ago, his flesh at this day yields to the touch. This valuable treasure is deposited in a silver coffin set with precious stones; and the Corfiots assert that the Venetians made many efforts to remove the body to Venice, and were only prevented by the miraculous interposition of the saint himself. It is well known that fanaticism attained a lamentable height during Venetian domination in these islands, when the superstitious bent the knee but too often at the shrine of Spiridione. It was then imagined that money, jewels, and worldly riches, were esteemed by the saint, and would procure his intercession in heaven for the repentant sinner. This led

to the accumulation of vast treasures in the cathedral of this little island city. On Spiridione's festival-day, the wretched remains of the saint, if a fragment of the original body could remain, are taken from the shrine, placed in a glass case resembling a sedan-chair, and borne in procession through the principal streets. The face is placed sufficiently close to the front of the case to admit distinct observation, and presents a miserable, nay, contemptible exhibition, calculated to deceive those, and those only, over whom a victory is no triumph. Returning to the cathedral, which is dedicated to the patron saint of Corfu, the body is again enshrined, and all around are placed candelabra and lamps of solid gold and silver-offerings of fanaticism, superstition, and bigotry, that have been made there from time to time.

GAMBLING.-Games of mere chance with dice, or with cards, or other things, in which money is won or lost merely by play, have been viewed by all soberminded men as a most pernicious pleasure; and very severe laws have been enacted to prevent, or to punish public gambling, even in respect of the nobility and gentry. One of the articles of the apprentice's indenture expressly forbids the practice, under the penalty of losing the freedom of the city. Gambling is an offence, from its consequences, of a very grievous nature against God, your employers, and yourselves. It is a sad waste of time, and is a source of distraction to the mind. It leads people to become connected with swindlers of every description, and it promotes idleness, theft, and sensuality of all sorts, as it generally associates itself with the most profligate habits. One person can only gain as another loses ; and therefore deceit, and evil tempers, and bad

From "The Shores and Islands of the Mediterranean; a Series of Views from Nature, with Descriptions." By the Rev. G. N. Wright, M.A. 4to. Fisher, London and Paris.-About eight parts of this very interesting work are published; the engravings are beautiful, and the descriptions good. We recommend it to our readers' favourable notice.

t From "Affectionate Advice to Apprentices," &c. By Rev. H. G. Watkins, Rector of St. Swithin, London-stone. Seeleys. -This is an excellent little work, and especially deserving the attention of masters and apprentices.

expressions, are constantly occasioned by the pestilent practice of gaming. Even gain at first may bring to the winner ruinous losses afterwards, as it excites a spirit of covetousness to gain more, and in that endeavour every thing is often lost. No parent can have the least confidence in a child, nor master in a servant, when this pernicious and ruinous habit, the love of play, as it is called, is once formed in the mind. It has tempted many to supply themselves with money for the gaming-table by robbing their masters; or some other mode of fraud has been invented and practised, which at length has been detected, and the delinquent has fallen into deep distress, and perhaps under condign punishment. Many horrible suicides in high life have been the effect of losses at the gaming-house. Those who acquire an inclination for gaming will find little inclination for business. The disposition for the one is quite the opposite to that for the other. Caution, frugality, modesty, self-denial, strict honesty in word and deed, must all meet together to form a respectable tradesman; but the very reverse of all these good qualities belong to the gamester. He soon becomes extravagant, fraudulent, licentious, and intemperate in every thing. He, therefore, that would not expose himself to shame, punishment, and ruin, must be careful not to spend his time in cards, dice, billiards, &c. "Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished; but he that gathereth by labour shall increase" (Prov. xiii. 11). Let my young reader, therefore, avoid all such company as may lead to this deadly evil of gaming, as he would avoid offending God. Obtain all that you spend in an honest way, and not by the loss or the pain of others, as you would stand high in the credit and esteem of your master, and enjoy a quiet, peaceful conscience. No money will wear well that is not gotten honestly.

INTOXICATION. If we may justly condemn that powerful body of men professing themselves to be Christians, who, with whatever motives, and under whatever mistaken views, make a trade of idolatry, and raise a large annual income by the profits of pilgrimages to the temple of Juggernaut, and the maintenance of other cruel and licentious rites of paganism, (and we trust that few disinterested men will be found to defend such practices as these in this enlightened age and country,)-then assuredly that government will not be held guiltless, who, professing to deprecate the misery and depravity of the lower orders, and to uphold the laws and religion of the country, yet act in such a manner as to afford encouragement to that very vice, which is confessedly the parent of almost every other offence against religion and morality; who take under their protection those receptacles of the wicked and depraved of both sexes, the beer-shops and jerry-shops of the country; and foster, by their legislation, the growth of those stately temples of iniquity, the ginpalaces of the metropolis. Mr. Pownall, a highly respectable magistrate of the county of Middlesex, informs us, that no less than 3000 children, under the age of fourteen, were committed for crimes, arising out of drunkenness, during the last two years; and when we learn, from the same authority, that there are at present not less than 45,738 beer-shops in the country, well may we shudder at the awful system of demoralisation which is thus carrying on under the licence, and, so far at least, with the sanction, of government.-Whytehead's Claims of Christian Philanthropy.

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