and with full purpose of heart is daily following it, who, like Enoch, Noah, and Abraham," walketh. with God," as one friend doth with another. This is the most desirable thing on earth, as it enables us to live in the world, and perform all the duties of that state of life in which God has placed us while we live above it; to manage our affairs, and enjoy our comforts, as others do, without having our happiness depending on, or exposed to the uncertainty of, things here below. How do they misunderstand religion, who are afraid that being religious should hurt their comforts, and lessen their enjoyments! True religion received into the heart, lessens nothing but our cares, our perplexities, anxieties, and fears. It bids us "cast all our care upon God, who careth for us," and to trust in Him, who hath promised "never to leave us, nor forsake us." It bids us, according to our station, to attend to the duty of every day, in its day, and, while we take every prudent precaution, to take no painfully anxious thought for the morrow.-It teaches us to regard the Almighty as our friend and father, our protector in every danger, our support under every trial and temptation, our comforter in every sor row, and our help in every struggle. This is religion, these some of its many blessings. And, when it hath taught us thus to live and walk with God here, it will enable us to meet death with humble yet joyful hope of a glorious resurrection to live with Him for ever.. In the mean time, when we read God's word, He speaks to us; when we pray, we speak to Him: a correspondence is begun and carried on here, which is the earnest of what we shall be admitted to hereafter, through the merits of our blessed Saviour, and the infinite mercy of His atonement. 1 To the Editor of the Cottager's Monthly Visitor, MR. EDITOR, A FEMALE servant lately died under the same roof under which I am penning these lines. She was a young woman, but had lived with the members of my family many years, and had recommended herself to us all by the consistent propriety of her conduct. Every effort was made that humanity could suggest, or money command, to raise her from the bed of sickness, but in vain. One fortnight only passed between her first attack and her burial. For the first time in my life, I saw a scene of death.-She was patient, tranquil, and resigned, frequently desiring me to offer such prayers for her as were adapted to her situation, and she appeared soothed and gratified by my compliance with her request. She declared that her sole reliance was upon the merits of her blessed Redeemer. The following inscription for her grave, suggested itself to me; and should it be deemed worthy a place in your valuable Miscellany, a double purpose may be answered.-Persons in her condition of life may here learn that the attachment of a master to faithful servants, sometimes outlives the period during which their services are rendered and also the commemoration of this poor girl's worth may be an encouragement to others to imitate her good example. I am, Mr. Editor, Your's, MAGISTER. Wit and learning thou had'st not, Thou hast treasured up in Heaven. He, who tries these lines to trace, He can tell how, in that hour, Bruis'd and wounded, did not he Yes! Thy thoughts were thither led May thy Judge, in accents mild, Own thee as His Father's child. E. P. LETTER OF COUNT STRUENSEE'S MOTHER. In our last Number we gave the Letter of Count Struensee's father to his unhappy son, during his imprisonment, and a short time before his execution. The following letter is from the mother. They are both taken from the "Narrative of the Conversion and Death of Count Struensee," by the late Rev. T. RENNELL. "Instead of entertaining you with our mutual grief and pain, I rather find myself under a necessity to acquaint you with those prevalent feelings of my heart, on account of that condition you are in at He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. He bare our sins in his own body on the tree. + "Broken reed" often used in Scripture, where there exists no solid ground of confidence. "Come ye blessed children of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you." present. Many days and years the subject of my prayers to God has been that he might save your immortal soul from everlasting ruin. I have, therefore, now sacrificed my desires, which made me, as a mother, wish for the happiness of my children, not only of their souls, but likewise of their bodies. If the mercy of God cannot otherwise reach the welfare of your soul, but by means that are hard and painful to the outward man, I have submitted with an humble and composed mind to the most holy and most perfeet will of the Lord, who had mercy upon us from everlasting. But never could I expect that doleful situation you are in now. My maternal heart is thereby crushed to pieces, and, as it were, immured alive. God is my refuge. My sole comfort under so hard sufferings will be the salvation of your soul. I shall praise the Almighty with tears of joy when 1 hear he, as the friend of sinful men, bas still thoughts of peace over you, and that he with thorns has shut up the way which could lead you to everlasting ruin. I do not doubt but the Spirit of God has convinced your mind already, that your Redeemer would not have you lost for ever, since you are his property. Give but further attention to that work of grace which the Holy Spirit is doing within your soul, for the sake of your conviction. He will reveal to you more than the tongues of men can make you acquainted with. Think you have to do with nobody but God and yourself; remove, therefore, all your thoughts from the things of this world. If the Spirit of God shall have only first glorified Christ within you: if you have been brought so far as to apply to yourself his fully sufficient redemption, you then will "count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus your Lord." You then will count all but dung that you may win Christ! Your eternal and immortal mind will enjoy already here more ease, comfort, and joy, than ever the world, with all NO. 47.-VOL. IV. its splendour and pleasure, can afford us. It has pleased God to convince my soul of this from my youth. There is no happier state in the world than to be a true Christian, both in good and evil days. How much would it have pleased me, if all my children had likewise let this blessed conviction be produced within them by the Spirit of God from their youth. But I have found, that this is only a work of God, and not of men. Now, my dear son, what may have been not properly conducted or neglected by men, let us be truly sorry for, and beg God's forgiveness. But do not despair of God's mercy, which he has so clearly revealed in Christ our Redeemer. Let us not lessen God's intentions, but give a faithful assent to those true assertions of Scripture"God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." But all these doctrines are such, that mere human reason can neither clear them up sufficiently, nor convince us thereof. You must beg for the assistance of the Holy Ghost; for it is he that reveals unto us, by his word, Christ, and the great work of his redemption, in a salutary manner. If you will only sét about an examination of the chief doctrines of our holy religion, with candid and sincere intentions and earnest prayer to God for the enlightening of your understanding, you will find breaking forth a light in your soul, which is more than one merely natural, and which will serve you for better insight and greater confirmation of these doctrines. I write this after the small share of knowledge which the grace of God has granted me. My faith has, notwithstanding all my verbal knowledge of the revealed truth, been obliged to work through the most specious objections. But praised be the Lord and his Spirit, who has strengthened my faith by his word, and by my own inward experience of its truth, that even the gates of hell shall not prevail against |