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I was often awoke from the pleasing fascination by a command (accompanied with other intelligible tokens) to attend to some frivolous household affair, which a moment's forethought on her part might have provided for. It was a common failing with my aunt not to know what she wanted until she came to use it.

Meanwhile my uncle was vigilantly intent on the approaching time for worship. The preachers were usually entertained by Mr. and Mrs. Greaves, of Brook Bottom, a furlong's distance from the Chapel. One of the apartments of this house was termed the study, and as the time of service drew near, I or some one else was admonished to look out and see whether the window of this room was gone dark; if it was, the preacher had left his closet, and was on his way to the Chapel, when reading and conversation at once ceased. Hats, cloaks, shawls, and bonnets were decently resumed, and every one silently repaired to his seat in the sanctuary.

Macclesfield, June, 1845.

(To be continued.)

THE YEAR OF JUBILEE.

D. OLDHAM.

THE year! the year of Jubilee!
The year of Jubilee to me!

The trumpet sounds, and I am free!
All hail! all hail! the Jubilee!

The trumpet's clang the valley fills,
"The bending slave erect shall be!"

Its echo leaps along the hills,

"Be free! be free! 'tis Jubilee!"

The prison gates fly open wide,
And set the lawful captive free;

Joy rises to its highest tide-
It is the joy of Jubilee!

The lost inheritance restor'd,

Its alien lord hastes, hastes to see;
"Home! home! my Father's home!" the word,
The word that makes his Jubilee!

The glorious gospel-trumpet blows;
The slave of sin is bid "be free;"
How happy he, its sound who knows,
And hails the day of Jubilee!

The prison-house of souls is burst,
Come forth and taste true liberty;
Here's manumission for the worst-
It is the sinner's Jubilee!

The lost inheritance of heaven

Is now restored, restored to thee;
The Father's only Son was given
To wake the trump of Jubilee!

The day! the day of Jubilee!
The day of Jubilee to me!

The trumpet sounds, and I am free!
All hail! all hail! the Jubilee!

LETTER TO A METHODIST CLASS-LEADER.

MY DEAR FRIEND,

In my last communication I offered a few remarks on some of the duties which devolve upon you in the exercise of that official influence with which you are now invested.

When we contemplate the diversified claims which are brought to bear on the time and energies of a Leader, it is obvious that he who holds that important situation should be a man of considerable mental vigour, of sound judgment, of deep piety, and devoted zeal. Nor should I be going too far in asserting that these qualities are peculiarly requisite in a Leader of our own Community. I well recollect, that in my first interview with the late John Rhoebottom, of Halifax, he observed, "It requires a man of more than ordinary sense to be a consistent member of the New Connexion." You will probably anticipate me when I say, that what the good man meant was simply this, that it demanded no small share of intelligence and wisdom properly to use the privileges and powers which our system confers on its officers and members. It is a common saying, that there is but a step between the sublime and the ridiculous; with equal truth may it be said, that there is but a step between perfect freedom and perfect tyranny. The greatest blessings are liable to the greatest abuse, and thus it is that principles and arrangements adopted for the purpose of securing unquestionable rights, and of resisting the encroachments of arbitrary power, may, by injudicious conduct, be perverted to the worst of purposes, and made instrumental in originating the very evils they were designed to prevent. If, therefore, the enemies of freedom affirm that a liberal form of church government does not always produce the benefits that we might expect from it, that it does not insure unbroken harmony, and that it only exchanges one form of despotism for another, they simply affirm that human nature has its infirmities and corruptions, and that these infirmities and corruptions are sometimes but too prevalent in those who profess godliness. Such charges form no substantial argument against the soundness and excellence of a system; they may prove that the parties identified with it misunderstand and misapply it, but they prove nothing against the principles on which the system is founded. Hence the importance of distinguishing between the evils that are the natural results of a system, and those which arise from the perversion of it.

These remarks are made with the view of impressing you with the obligation you are under, to give the fairest exhibition possible to that form of government by which we are distinguished as a religious community. You will have your part to act in the working of the system. Be determined, therefore, to pursue that course which shall give the most faithful development to its principles, which shall evince its harmonizing and peaceful spirit, which shall manifest its tendency to promote piety and zeal, and to disseminate the blessings of vital Christianity. Here I might urge upon you to be keenly jealous for the honour and character of the Connexion. I might with earnestness press upon you the importance of our having a good report from those who are without, and of our being held in respectful estimation by other denominations.

But I appeal to higher motives. The salvation of souls, the glory of God, are involved in our Connexional character; for on that character depends our moral influence, and on that moral influence, instrumentally considered, depends our usefulness and success. Remember, then, my dear friend, that our Connexional character is partly in your hands. Let it be seen in your official conduct that the spirit of religious liberty is a spirit of benevolence and candour, of humility and justice, and that it is inseparably associated with the love of peace and with the exercise of fervent charity; that it banishes from the heart the evil surmisings, the rankling jealousies, and the bitter feelings which are too often the bane, and sometimes the ruin of Christian churches.

1. As a Leader be careful to avoid the influence of a party spirit. Considering that the object of Christian communion is mutual edification and the salvation of souls, we might reasonably have hoped that the evil conflicts of party would have confined themselves to the halls of legislation; but the history of the church most painfully proves that those who profess to be united by the strongest ties, are but too frequently alienated by the influence of those evils and infirmities which it is easy to acknowledge, but difficult to subdue.

I speak not now of those denominational sections by which the church is divided, and by which the various portions of it are recognised. Deeply as these are to be lamented, they are, in the present state of human nature, unavoidable; and though productive of serious evils, they are also preventive of evils of, perhaps, greater magnitude. What I now warn you against is, the indulgence of a spirit of party within your own church. Too frequently has it been the case, that some individual, prompted by that love of pre-eminence which is natural to the human heart, grasps with eagerness at the supreme dominion of a church. He may, as he conceives, have conferred upon it some signal advantages, and therefore considers himself as entitled to a more than ordinary share of influence; or he may suppose that his judgment invariably displays the perfection of wisdom, and that his opinion is always entitled to immediate and respectful adoption. Favoured perhaps by fluency of speech, or by certain advantages of situation, he unconsciously to himself acquires dominion over the minds of his brethren. As he often saves them the trouble both of thinking and acting, they insensibly form the habit of conforming to his views, until his propositions assume the tone of authority, obedience to which is expected as a matter of course. Now, however well-directed this influence may be, yet its existence is sure to excite jealousy, and this jealousy awakens opposition. Such opposition is regarded as resistance to an undue exercise of power, and therefore claims for itself a high degree of merit. It does not long act without co-operation, and thus a party is formed which may involve the church in endless broils and in ruinous contentions.

Not only from the love of individual pre-eminence, but from personal offences, from family quarrels, and from a variety of causes, party spirit may arise, may prolong its existence, display its virulence, and produce the withering, deadly effects of a church disorganized, weakened, ruined. Or a project of some importance may be proposed, some measure which may greatly affect the interests of the church for good or for evil. Its advocates may regard it as sound both in principle and in expediency, and probably as essential to the stability and enlargement of the cause. But others may think differently. They therefore object to the proposed

scheme; but the adoption of it is urged by its supporters. Each side is confident in the correctness of its views and in the purity of its motives. In the enforcement of their respective opinions, mutual opposition begets warmth, and warmth leads to recrimination; anger, bitterness, and deepseated animosity, are the natural, the almost certain consequences. Oh! what tales of sorrow might be told in describing those scenes of ungodly enmity and strife with which the church of God has been made to bleed. Little can those who originate such events, know the mischief they are perpetrating; little can they be aware of the responsibility they are incurring in thus fanning the flames of party spirit, and in lighting up the fire of fierce contention.

Happily for the church and for the honour of Christianity, in speaking of these matters we are speaking, in a great measure, of days gone by. Violence of temper and the spirit of disunion have, we hope, of late years become less prevalent in Christian societies. Christians have found out that such contests benefit neither themselves nor the church; they begin to see into the awful criminality of such conduct, and they are more deeply impressed with the necessity of more closely imitating the example of their Divine Master. They have more knowledge, more sound sense, and we trust more piety, than during the periods to which we refer. But the evil against which I am warning you is not extinct; we are not yet overpowered with a spirit of forbearance, humility, and kindness; the infirmities common to our nature still exist, and circumstances either do or may arise, which shall serve to bring those infirmities too powerfully into operation. We are far from being placed beyond the reach of discord; its rancour may still defile us, and its curse may rest upon us.

Need I exhort you as a Leader to be a man of peace? I am persuaded the exhortation is unnecessary. I need not remind you of the blessedness of peace, nor of the blessedness of the peace-maker. I need not set before you the absolute necessity of cordial Christian union in a church in order to its existence and prosperity. Oh! if Christians did but know the value of peace, they would be horrified at the slightest symptoms of its departure from a religious community; a feeling of the deepest anguish would be excited by the first expressions of unkindness between the brethren, and no compromise, consistent with integrity, would be deemed too great to preserve the harmony and union of the church of God.

In cases of party contest in a religious society, the difficulty with those who wish to be guided aright, frequently is, to know what to maintain and what to relinquish-when to yield and when to be firm. Blinded by our attachment to our own views, we are often unable to discriminate between what is a matter of principle and a mere question of expediency. We are apt to exalt the latter to a level with the former. But when maintaining a principle, it should be remembered that even principle should be defended in the spirit of meekness and love. The advocacy of our views should ever be accompanied with a consciousness of our fallibility, and our confidence and our earnestness should be moderated by the conviction that there are others whose judgments are as sound as our own-whose experience may have taught them equal wisdom, and who are as capable of investigating and discovering the true bearings of a question as we are. If all our discussions were carried on in a spirit of mutual respect and good-will, with a desire only to see right and truth prevail, and with a wish to sink every consideration so that God may be

glorified, we should then have no fierce contentions-no party conflicts; the only provocations would be to love and good works, and the only jealousy would be lest we should fail in that much-neglected precept,— "in honour preferring one another."

In the church, then, be of no party-call no man master. Let your views of every question be grounded solely on its own merits. Let neither your support nor your resistance of a measure be governed by individual influence. Look at the measure in itself and in its tendencies, and judge of it accordingly, and let neither personal friendship nor personal prejudice either warp your judgment or control your conduct. However much you may be blamed, even by both parties, for occupying what they may term neutral ground, yet be resolved that your ground shall be that of rectitude and wisdom. Let not your neutrality be manifested by standing aloof from the church's interests, and being an idle spectator of her conflicts, but on the contrary labour to the utmost to terminate the warfare; do justice to all-be the personal enemy of none. Endeavour to conciliate; strive to make peace; and let your own peaceful but upright deportment exhibit its beauty and exemplify its power.

Be a peace-maker, in the loftiest sense of the term. Disdain to be at the head of a party. Aim not at great personal influence. Do not form the opinion that in every discussion your will should be law. In meetings for business do not let your voice be too frequently heard-and when you do speak endeavour to speak to the point, and only to the point; and let it be manifest that your desire is not to carry your own views, but to seek and to adopt the truth-to follow only the leadings of Providence, and to do that which shall be for the real welfare of the church, and which shall most faithfully fulfil the will of God. In another letter I will turn to other topics. In the mean time, believe me, Yours very truly,

J. B.

AWFUL VISITATION.

ON Sunday night, the 6th of July, Nottingham and its vicinity was visited by a most extraordinary storm. The lower parts of the houses in Narrow-marsh, the Meadow-plats, and other similar situations, were completely deluged, and the damage done will amount to several hundred pounds at the least. At the Milton's Head Inn, on the Derby-road, a man, named Alfred G, of Radford, a lace-maker, who was drinking there, was using some of the most disgustingly blasphemous language conceivable. Amongst other things he said that he wished a thunderbolt would fall through the roof and kill everybody in the house. One of the bystanders rebuked him for his impious wish, and he replied, "I don't care: I fear neither God nor devil." When he had spoken these shocking words he sat down, and remained about ten minutes with his eyes steadily fixed upon the ceiling, and appeared like one greatly amazed; he then gradually reeled, and fell into the arms of a soldier who was sitting against him. He was struck blind! His eyes were then firmly closed, but in seven or eight minutes he opened them for a quarter of a minute, when they closed again, and he ejaculated, "The Lord forgive me!" to which every one in the room, about twenty in number, re

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