prejudice from the messenger to his message, and so to shut the heart against the reception of saving truth. It is to be apprehended that many idle words of this kind will be remembered with grief and confusion another day, Matt, xii. 36. This I am quite sure, from my own experience, that the uniform respect for ministers of the gospel manifested by the heads of the family in which it was my lot to be cast, led me to pay great attention to their instructions, and bitterly to reproach myself if I failed to comply with any of their wholesome suggestions. Old Dr. M., on whose ministry my grandfather and his family for a long series of years attended in London, was quite one of the old school; very precise and methodical in all his movements; and in his dress, old-fashoned, and strictly canonical. He was one of the last whom I remember to have seen with a great bushy wig, surmounted by a shovel hat. His walk was stately, his speech deliberate, and his manners, in general grave and dignified, although even he could at times unbend. He was a cheerful, as well as an instructive companion, very kind and affectionate to young people, and won both their reverence and their love. I have by me still, and highly value, a sermon to young people, on Prov. ix. 12, with a collection of wise maxims, given by him to me when a child. He knew, too, how to condescend to men of low estate. If an opportunity occurred of doing good to the meanest of his fellow creatures, either in their bodies or their souls, he no sooner received the intimation than he ran off with the agility of youth-no, not ran; hardly could he have been convicted of such a crime; but, certainly, on such occasions, all his stiffness and stateliness disappeared, and he seemed to be made up of benevolence, energy, and per severance. Dr. M. died soon after my grandfather. Well do I remember his funeral. My aunt permitted me to accompany Sarah Bailey and old Deborah, who, having been much attached to his ministry, came to town on purpose to witness the last solemnities. On our return, Deborah called to see my aunt Leonora. Mary Stace, who opened the door, remarked, "So, I find it was a very grand funeral. William tells me there were four mourning coaches, and more than twenty private carriages besides.' "Oh," replied Deborah, "there was something much grander than that. There were numbers of widows and orphans weeping and saying that they had lost their best friend; and there were those”—(here Deborah could not restrain her own tears,) "to whom the gospel he preached had been made the power of God unto salvation, and who hope to meet him again in glory." I often call to mind some of the doctor's pithy and sententious sayings. A few I have preserved in writing, and wish I had many more; but, like young people in general, I was too apt to think I should be sure to remember them. Ah, young people little think how many cares and troubles will come upon them, and thrust good things out of their minds: or, at least, that these good things will escape recollection when they will be most useful. "Memory," said aunt Priscilla, on one occasion, "(or rather recollection,) is like a good horse, valuable and useful if he happens to be at home when you want him; but a written memorandum is like a lock on the stable door." Well, here are a few of the maxims that Í have preserved: "Persevere against discouragements." Keep your temper." 66 Employ leisure in study, and always have some work in hand." "Be punctual and methodical in business, and never procrastinate." "Never be in a hurry." "Preserve self-possession, and do not be talked out of a conviction." "Rise early, and be an economist of time." "Maintain dignity, without pride: manner is something with everybody, and everything with some." "Be guarded in discourse; attentive, and slow to speak." "Never acquiesce in immoral or pernicious opinions." "Be not forward to assign reasons to those who have no right to ask them." "Think nothing in conduct, unimportant or indifferent." "Rather set than follow examples." "Practise strict temperance, and in all your transactions remember the final account." The successor of Dr. M. was Mr. D., and the minister at C. was Mr. W., both of them sound, judicious, and instructive preachers: the one, more refined; the other, more energetic: the one, more persuasive; the other, more striking. When a child, I was very apt to identify ministers with Scripture characters. Whe ther this arose from some fancied resemblance of their persons to some Scripture portraits which hung around my grandfather's library, or whether from some supposed similarity_in_character, I cannot say; but Mr. D. I used to associate with the idea of Apollos, and Mr. W. with that of John the Baptist. Some scraps of their sermons, and some expressions of theirs in conversation, still keep alive the association in my memory, and lead me to think that it might be not without some degree of correctness. My kind aunt, like her namesake of old, was noted as a generous succourer of ministers; a willing co-operator, to the extent of her ability, in all their labours of love, and a discreet sympathizing friend and counsellor under their difficulties and discouragements. Hence, almost all their visits were characterized by some scheme of usefulness to be matured or carried into effect, or some trouble to be disclosed and some remedy suggested. It was not long before I left the protection of my uncle and aunt, that Mr. D. came, for a few days, to C., to recruit his health and spirits. Mr. W. was invited to meet him. The good men talked over their several troubles between each other, and with my uncle and aunt. I then thought their cases singularly trying. I do not think so now, for I have reason to believe that human nature, everywhere, is perverse, and that even grace in good men is very imperfect. Hence, ministerial trials are pretty similar; and whatever may befal an individual minister, it may generally be said to him, "the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world," 1 Pet. v. 9. I remember that was the strain in which my uncle and aunt spoke to their visitors, one of whom complained bitterly of the fastidiousness, cold-heartedness, frowardness, and superciliousness of a set of people who would be thought intellectual and refined, and declared he would gladly exchange with his brother, whose lot it was to labour among a set of simple-hearted rustics. Stop, stop, my brother," said Mr. W., "don't imagine that the rustics are free from pride, and self-conceit, and ill-will. No, no; these evils are the greater just in proportion to their ignorance. It is not the learned and polite, but the fool, that is wiser in his own conceit than seven men that can render a reason. Among the simple-hearted rustics, as you call them, I could point out to you men as ignorant as brutes, yet as crafty as Haman, as covetous as Judas, as domineering as Cesar; and I could show you great pretenders to piety, whose standard of piety is the clear pronunciation of their own 'Shibboleth, and the capacity of cramming into a given time a certain quantity of public religious services; though, should they happen to be out of humour, they can do without any religious services at all, and call that piety too. No, no, if you had six months' trial of the rustics, you would be glad to get back to your polite congregation, with all its faults. Things never were at such a pitch in the country as they are now!" "My dear sir," said my uncle, "you are getting rather warm. While you and my friend Mr. D. have been stating your several grievances, you have put me in mind of the prophet of old, who fancied that incorrigible obstinacy and stupidity were confined to one class of people; but, on trying the experiment, he found them to be the faults of human nature, and alike prevalent among the poor and foolish, and the great and knowing," Jer. v. 3-5. "Well; true, true; I think you are right. But, whether in town or country, it is grievous to see such inconsistency among professors of religion; people who, with all their loud professions of humility and prostration of spirit, trust in themselves that they are righteous, and despise others. Oh, if a hand were to appear, and write on the walls of their sanctuary or their dwellings-'If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his,' Rom. viii. 9, they would be as terrified as Belshazzar was; but, because it is only written in the Bible, they do not mind it. But, after all, the reproof comes home. We want more of the spirit of Christ ourselves, to weep over them and forgive them, and set them an example of gentleness and love. That is an awful text for covetous, irreligious professors of religion, 'This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish,' Jas. iii. 15. I was thinking of preaching from it, but perhaps it would be hardly right. We ought to be faithful, but not personal." The remark seemed addressed as a kind of appeal to his ministerial brother. "Perhaps," replied Mr. D., "there might be some danger of sliding into personalities, which are better avoided, as they tend to embitter our own spirits, and to irritate, rather than reform those of others. But what a lovely verse is placed in contrast! Let us both try to preach from that, and practise it too: 'But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy,' Jas. iii. 17." After this, the conversation happened to turn on a recent committee meeting of a benvolent society, at which both Mr. D. and my uncle were present. Some suggestion of Mr. D.'s (though ultimately adopted and proving most advantageous to the interests of the society) had been most uncourteously and contemptuously opposed by a gentleman present, who, having a long purse, had fallen into the very common mistake of supposing that his understanding must be as capacious, and that his influence ought to be as weighty. Not content with, or rather, not capable of meeting argument with argument, this person had meanly thrown out some unjust insinuations as to the motive that actuated the proposal. Referring to this circumstance, my uncle expressed his surprise and admiration at the gentleness and patience with which his friend had been enabled to meet this provocation, and observed that, had he been disposed to resent it, almost the whole committee would have supported him in it. In the year 1818, colonel orders to join his regiment in India, made preparations for his voyage, and in a short time, accompanied by his lady, he was sailing swiftly across the dark blue waters of the wide Atlantic. In embarking for a distant land, there is always a great uncertainty of a return, and this is especially the case with a military man. He has the same dangers to brave, and is liable to the same accidents as his fellow-passengers; but in addition to these, the peculiar perils of "I should have been strongly dis- his profession, after he has crossed the posed," said Mr. W., "just to have made world of waters, render his safety an obhim ashamed of himself before all the ject of solicitude to all who are interestcompany. Not that the personal insulted in his welfare. A soldier should ever so much signified. The man is too in- | significant to injure you; but those purseproud men are such a dead weight on every good cause with which they are connected." 66 But," replied Mr. D., "it would have been a pity to occupy the time of the committee in rectifying private grievances; and an unsatisfactory triumph, which, by offending the party from whom the supposed offence came, might have injured the funds of the institution. No, sir; on entering that committee, I resolved, in the strength of Divine grace, never to be offended, and I have, by the grace of God, endeavoured to maintain my resolution. I therefore thought it better to take no notice of the remark so gratuitously made, but to pass on to the business before the meeting." "O brother, brother," exclaimed Mr. W., "I wish I possessed your self-command. A man of understanding is of an excellent spirit,' Prov. xvii. 27." be ready to quit, on short notice, not only his native country, but the world. Among the passengers was a young officer, whose suavity of manner and general behaviour attracted the observation of the colonel and his lady. An acquaintance took place between them, and this was soon rendered more intimate by the discovery that both officers were about to join the same regiment on their arrival in India. Not long after landing, the young officer, lieutenant D—, married a lady who had been a passenger with him from England, and lived with her for two years in great harmony and happiness. At length, Mrs. D became a mother, but in three days after, her offspring, a daughter, was left an orphan. Colonel and his lady, seeing the distressed state of their young friend, kindly undertook to bring up the child, until lieutenant D- could take that charge upon himself, and for three years, every attention that kindness could dic- It is no common charge to bring up the child of another; but the kind-hearted lady of the colonel cheerfully undertook it, and with such success, that when lieutenant D - returned, at the expiration of four or five years, he was delighted with the health, appearance, manners, and general improvement of his child. Having no home to receive his daughter, he prevailed on his kind friends still to keep her under their care, agreeing to pay for her board and maintenance, the first payment to commence when his next quarter's pay became due. Alas, how uncertain is every calculation and arrangement that depends on the brittle thread of life! Before that time arrived, lieutenant D- was himself attacked with fever, and carried to the grave. "Leaves have their time to fall, adopted daughter, embarked for England. After a pleasant voyage, they all arrived in safety, and took up their abode in the lovely white cottage which attracts the attention of the passing stranger by its extreme neatness, and by the beauty of its front garden. In that cottage the colonel and his lady still reside, happy in themselves, and dispensing happiness to all who require Christian counsel or temporal aid. Prompt are their hearts to feel, and ready are their hands to relieve distress, while all who suffer in mind, body, or estate, excite their kind sympathy: and sorrowful will that day be to many when they are called away from this world. Perhaps it is a mistake to say that the respected inmates of the cottage are happy just now; for a cloud has passed over them. May its shadow rest on them for a season only, and enduring sunshine enter their hearts! Grateful as it is to receive kindness, there is in every well-regulated mind a shrinking from a state of dependence, and a disinclination to trespass on others. The desire to provide for our own necessities and to add to our own comfort, is honourable to our nature. Sweet is the bread of honest exertion, even though obtained by the sweat of the brow. No wonder that when the orphan charge of colonel and his lady had attained the age of twenty-one years, she should be anxious to make an effort to obtain an honourable independence. By the kindness of her guardian friends, she was established in a small school at and appeared to prosper, but her health gradually declined. There was no complaint on her part, though day after day she grew weaker, until she was unable to discharge her duties without visible effort. Her kind friends became alarmed, and called in a physician, but he saw no symptoms of disease: her And flowers to wither at the north wind's breath, pulse was regular, her tongue was clean, And stars to set; but all Thou hast all seasons for thine own, O Death!" The colonel and his lady had now no alternative but that of adopting or abandoning their doubly orphan charge. They chose the good part, prompted by true Christian benevolence, and adopted the child of their deceased friend. In course of time, the colonel's state of health required that he should leave the sultry clime of India, and visit his "father land." He sold his commission, and, with his lady, his only son, and his and her skin was healthy. After a close examination, the truth was discovered; the poor young creature, in consequence of the parents not paying for the education of their children, had lived in a state of actual starvation. No time was lost in putting an end to this state of things. The school was given up, the furniture was sold, and the poor invalid was once more taken under the care of her kind friends, who received her as a daughter. Could her life have been preserved by the kindest and most affectionate attentions, then this sorrowful story would not have been related; but it was the will of the Most High that she should not reAfter languishing a few weeks, she breathed her last, blessing, in her dying moments, those who had so faithfully befriended her. cover. Short as was the life of the departed, it was one of great vicissitudes, and mournful it was to gaze on the sorrowful faces of the young group that attended to the village church, the mouldering ashes of the hapless orphan. Seldom do we meet in life an occurrence more calculated than this to excite our sympathy, or one that sets forth in a stronger light the fading nature of earthly things. Drawn, however, as was the mind of the afflicted in her latter days to the consideration of eternal things, the bright hope is not withheld that she has entered on an everlasting inheritance through Him who "is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them," Heb. vii. 25. "O'er thine orphan head SINGULAR CONVERSION. G. THE following fact is stated by the Rev. H. M'Neile: "A journeyman house painter, who had long entertained infidel opinions, was engaged in his trade upon the outside of a house nearly opposite mine. From his elevated position he could see over my blind into my study. At an early hour he so saw me at my work; and again, the next morning when he arrived, he found I was before him. His curiosity was excited, and the following morning he came much earlier; still I was before him. He ascertained who I was, and continued to watch me while his job in my neighbourhood lasted. Meanwhile he began, as I afterwards learned, to reason thus with himself: 'This gentleman must be in earnest at all events, whether right or wrong. The result of all this reading and writing so early, morning after morning, must be worth hearing. I'll go and hear what he has to say.' cordingly, the man came to my church. He heard me describe the aching anxieties of the human soul, not to be satisfied with any created objects, but exhausting Ac them all, and aching still, until repose is found in the bosom of the Creator. He heard me describe the way in which such holy repose may be enjoyed, even by a guilty creature. His heart was touched; the true cause of his infidelity was detected; not a want of evidence for the revelation of God, but a want of willingness in the man to be conformed to the character of God. Before a rising willingness to be holy, all the scepticism of his understanding gave way; and, from a sullen infidel, he is now, I trust, a happy Christian." BUFFALO DANCE. "THESE dances have sometimes been continued in this village two and three weeks, without stopping an instant, until the joyful moment when buffaloes made their appearance. So they never fail; and they think they have been the means of bringing them in. "Every man in the Mandan village, as I have before said, is obliged, by a village regulation, to keep the mask of the buffalo, hanging on a post at the head of his bed, which he can use on his head, whenever he is called upon by the chiefs, to dance for the coming of buffaloes. The mask is put over the head, and generally has a strip of the skin hanging to it, of the whole length of the animal, with the tail attached to it, which passing down over the back of the dancer, is dragging on the ground. When one becomes fatigued of the exercise, he signifies it, by bending quite forward, and sinking his body towards the ground; when another draws a bow upon him, and hits him with a blunt arrow, and he falls like a buffalo, is seized by the bystanders, who drag him out of the ring by the heels, brandishing their knives about him; and having gone through the motions of skinning and cutting him up, they let him off, and his place is at once supplied by another, who dances into the ring with his mask on; and by this taking of places, the scene is easily kept up night and day, until the desired effect has been produced, that of "making buffalo come. -Catlin. FACTS. FACTS recorded are the landmarks to the understanding; he who is without them resembles a mariner, who sails along a treacherous coast, without either rudder or compass.-Lord Bacon. |