they had lived as those who wait for an unexpected summons from their God, even as the "wise virgins," or the "faithful and wise servant," and their removal was doubtless to the glorious rest which remaineth for the people of God, through Him who loved them, and to whom they both looked with a spirit so full of hope and of adoring gratitude.

From Madame Vernet.

Coppet, 10th Dec. 1827.

I received your letter two days ago, my dear and valued friend, I know well how much you have felt for us; and I feel such a desire to talk with you of my Adele-my poor unfortunate Adele. She has been much supported by our merciful Father-we feel that God is with us, and He who has promised consolation, has often sent it to us.

The dreadful sufferings she experienced in giving birth to her child, never for one moment diminished the anguish of her mind. The result of which was a continuation of suffering for twenty-four hours after her delivery, which caused us the greatest anxiety. Thanks be to God, she is now free from pain, and this will be the tenth since her confinement. She is supported by Prayer, and reading the Scriptures-these have been her daily food all through the severe illness of her beloved husband; and of this she now reaps the benefit.

Her dear husband, even during the six or seven days of his delirium, never ceased seeking after Him, whom he desired to love and to serve above every other object. And when he had fixed his mind on any particular subject or passage of Scripture, he fancied his Adele had chosen it for him. For three days he was dwelling on these words: "Though he slay me, yet will I trust in Him." He prayed with great fervour and eloquence, even when in delirium, and his mind always displayed the same beautiful, noble, elevated Christian tone as at former times. He said to me when I came near to him, speak to me of my God, and of my Saviour, repeat to me some of His holy Word. Alas! I told him but little, for his nervous state was such, that simply seeing me agitated him extremely, and the three last days of his life I only saw him, when he could no longer see me. His illness was very terrible; I could not have imagined anything so violent. The thoughts of his wife's confinement tormented him painfully, but God in mercy granted him the happiness of fancying she was safely delivered, and that he saw his child in his dreams. His affection for her was such, I thought nothing on this earth could be compared to it. My poor girl fancied their hearts were so united that nothing could possibly separate them. Their life had been passed together in striving to approach nearer and nearer to their God and their Redeemer. All their plans were influenced and directed by holy and Christian reflection. They prayed to God

together, read the Scriptures together, and looked forward with mutual happiness to the dedication of their child to God from its birth.

Their union was not made for this world; but it has prepared my sweet Adele for this dreadful trial, by giving her an increase of strength and lively faith, enabling her to see him by anticipation in heaven, and hear her blessed Lord, who had so loved her, that He had sent His Son to die for her, and has now opened the gates of heaven to receive his beloved Auguste, and is willing and able to prepare the same for her.

The prayers of all our kind friends are earnestly entreated; they will be more and more wanted every day. We suffer much, but find peace in offering at the foot of the Cross this darling child, whom God in His mercy has given to us, to strengthen our progress in the Christian course.

Our dear Madame De Broglie has been with us the last fortnight, and remains a fortnight more. Sunday, the 25th of December, the day of our great communion, we hope, if the Lord permits, to have the dear child baptised, if it is spared till then. You will, I trust, join your prayers with ours.

Letter from M. Gausson De Saligny, 19th Jan. 1828.

amiable

You have wept with us over the loss of the noble, De Stael, you can scarcely imagine what vast progress he had been making lately-he has been living with God in close communion for several months. "Oh! how I wish to be a Nathaniel," said he, much affected, a short time before his death. He was full of humility, upright feeling, and truly humble minded. These two qualities always accompany each other, and these grew and increased in him every day. His last days were passed in a constant delirium, but throughout he preserved his personal identity, and all the powers of his mind. He prayed continually, and fed his fainting spirit with reading passages from the Holy Scriptures. One day he fancied himself at a meeting of the Bible Society in London, and making a long speech in English; another time, he wished to be present at the birth of his child. He assembled his family, and solemnly dedicated them to God and his blessed Son our Saviour. Shortly before he breathed his last, and whilst still in a state of delirium, he prayed for his wife, and the whole Canton de Vaud, in the most touching and striking manner. You know how eloquent he was in his power of expressing himself at all times. In a word, he died as he had lived,-it was not like death. Oh! that God may grant to us what he accorded to him.

Rev. and dear Sir,

To the Editor of the Christian Beacon.

Knipton Rectory, near Grantham, 31st July, 1840. If you think the whole, or extracts from, the enclosed little publication likely to be useful, if inserted in your valuable periodical, you are at liberty

to make any use of its contents. I trust that you will be encouraged in your good work by the accompanying blessing of our GoD, and that the influences of the Divine Spirit may be largely poured into your own soul. My parishioners, among whom I circulate" the Christian Beacon," look forward to every new number, with anticipations of pleasure which are always realized: and I trust that many have profited by it: though, I am thankful to say, amongst the simple population of my little parish, nothing is known, except by report, of Socialism, Chartism, Puseyism; and very little, of Dissent.

I remain, Rev. and dear Sir,

Your faithful brother in Christ Jesus,

JOHN HUTTON,

A CHURCH IN A FOREST, AND A CHURCH IN
A HAMLET.

BY THE REV. J. HUTTON.

"How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord of Hosts."

A narrative of circumstances relating to a Church in a Forest. On the borders of one of the royal forests lived a pious and zealous clergyman. The inhabitants of the forest were not under the care of any minister, as the king's forests are extra-parochial, that is, not included within any parish. No man seemed to care for the souls of the foresters, and they were left to themselves to pursue their wretched and criminal course of life. They supported themselves and their families, not by honest industry, but by theft, poaching, and plunder, in various ways. They were no better than the heathen, and knew no difference between the Sabbath and the week day. Their children were brought up in the most deplorable vice and ignorance. Robberies were so frequent in the forest, and sometimes accompanied with murder, that few persons dared to pass through it, and those few were in general armed for defence. When the writer visited his friend, at his vicarage, in the year 1811, the character and conduct of the foresters in that neighbourhood were completely changed. Immorality had been succeeded by good moral conduct; the profanation of the Sabbath by regard for the holy day and its religious observance; carelessness about their children was changed into attention to their education and conduct; and from being the most lawless people in the country, a terror to the neighbourhood, and especially to the traveller, they had become amenable to the laws of their country, industrious, sober, honest, and civil and obliging to those who had occasion to pass through that part of the forest in which they lived.

And how was this great, important, and salutary change effected? It was by the blessing of God, upon the labours of the clergyman to whom I have alluded, and whose parish was on the borders of the forest. This worthy man had been some years resident in his parish, discharging his ministerial duties faithfully and affectionately amongst the people committed to his charge, but not going beyond the limit of that portion of the vineyard in which he was commissioned to labour.

One morning he received a very pressing invitation to visit a poor man in the forest, who, it was said, was ill. It was also asserted that the sick man had heard the clergyman preach not long before,-that he was impressed with what he had heard,-and that, now that death was, in all probability, near, he wished to see him, from whom he had heard the words of eternal life. The clergyman hesitated, and was in doubt for some time, whether he should go, fearing that possibly this might be a plan laid by some evil disposed persons, to induce him to enter into the forest, with the intention of robbing, and, perhaps, murdering him. But after praying for divine direction, he at length determined to go, committing himself to the safe keeping of his heavenly friend. With fear and trembling, (for he was a man of very weak nerves) yet, in stedfast reliance on his God, he entered the forest, and proceeded with the messenger. He was truly thankful to find that the representation which had been made to him was strictly true. The occupier of the hut, to which he was conducted, was indeed sick, as he thought, unto death he had been led by the good providence and tender mercy of God to attend the church at which the clergyman officiated, probably from motives of curiosity. During the clergyman's discourse, the sick man was deeply impressed by the truths, which were so new to him: he was now very anxious concerning his soul, awakened as he was to his awful situation, as a sinner against God, in all probability on the verge of eternity. The clergyman remained with the sick man about two hours; read and explained a portion of the Holy Scriptures to him; endeavoured to direct him, as a convinced penitent, to the blessed Saviour's cross; and having prayed with him, was about to take his departure. The sick man asked whether he might hope that the clergyman would do him so great a favour as to repeat the visit in the following week. To this he willingly consented. He was then asked whether he had any objection to having a few of the poor and ignorant neighbours collected together on his next visit, that they also might enjoy an opportunity of hearing the precious truths of the gospel, as well as himself. The request was immediately and gladly complied with and when the circumstances were related to the writer, some years had passed from the time of his first visit to the forest, he had gone thither every week, the sick man recovered, and gave evidence of a real change of heart, and many of the foresters were awakened, and brought to Jesus.

Feeling the want of a house of prayer, in which they might meet together, one gave a little piece of land-others procured stone-others the materials of cement-others willingly gave their labour for the erection of the building-and those few who could afford it, their money. At length a small church was built, which soon afterwards it was found necessary to enlarge considerably, and which was used as a house of God on the Sabbath, and as a school in the week. Through the divine blessing on the labours of the clergyman, and the ministrations of others, who preached salvation through a crucified, risen, and exalted Redeemer, the good seed was sown in many hearts: repentance was exercised by many: Jesus was believed in and loved as the

only Saviour and as a fruit of faith, which will always, when genuine, produce its blessed effects, they manifested hatred and resistance of sin, and a love and pursuit of holiness. And hence the happy change in the character of the foresters. They who had been the slaves of the evil one, became the children of God; they believed, and they lived as Christians; they earned the means of support by honest exertion; they trained up their children in the way in which they should go; and many, when called to enter the otherwise dark and dreary vale of the shadow of death, found that it had no terrors for them. He in whom they trusted, was with them in fulfilment of his own most precious promise: his rod defended, his staff supported them and many a cheering instance occurred of departure from this world to eternity, rejoicing in the LORD.

* We shall mention one remarkable instance. One of the foresters acknowledged after his conversion, that before that happy change took place, he never passed the Vicarage gate, without wishing that the heaviest curses might fall upon the faithful servant of Christ, who dwelt there; and that after he had been brought to the Saviour, he never went by his gate without invoking the richest blessings from on high on his best earthly friend.

Note.-Since the Church alluded to in the preceeding narrative was built, others have been erected in different parts of the same extensive forest, with the happiest results.

A narrative of circumstances relating to a Church in a Hamlet. A POOR man resided in a hamlet which was nearly three miles distant from his parish church; and he had frequently suffered much inconvenience, particularly in the winter season, from having such a long way to walk to the house of God. He felt grieved for the privations of the aged and diseased, who, however they might desire to attend the public ordinances, could not possibly, from such a distance, avail themselves of them. This poor man determined that, if ever it should be in his power, by the blessing of God on diligence in his little way of business, and strict economy, to raise a sum of money sufficient, he would devote it to the good purpose of furnishing himself, and his fellow inhabitants of the hamlet, with the opportunity of hearing the truth of God, and joining in public prayer and praise, within the reach of all, from their own abodes. His occupation was a very humble one, and his profits could not have been large. He went from house to house through the country selling lace and after providing the plainest food for his own support, and confining his other expences within as narrow a limit as possible, the remainder of his gains was laid by. Thus he went on, from day to day, and from year to year, until at length he had good reason to hope that the wish of his heart would be gratified. When the sum saved was sufficient for the purpose, he purchased a small piece of ground, and afterwards collected the materials for building, employed masons and carpenters to execute the work after his own plan, and the writer believes that his precise object was kept a secret until the building was roofed in, and prepared for the service of God. After some difficulties had been overcome, he at length was made truly happy by tlie consent of the Bishop of the diocese in which the hamlet stood, to consecrate his church, to which he presented a faithful minister, from