not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers." Think on these things now, whilst the Lord in mercy delayeth his coming, in order that we may come to repentance; pray for the gift of repentance and of faith-a lively faith in Him who can alone save you, which faith will lead you to apply yourself to a diligent performance of all the duties of your station, in the assurance that that station is appointed you by God, and pray for the gift of God's Holy Spirit, to renew you and fit you for the inheritance of "the saints in light," so that when Christ appeareth, you may "have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming."

"TAKE NO THOUGHT FOR THE MORROW."

J.

FEW people are in the habit of supposing how greatly this command of our Lord, which He enforced with so much solemnity, would contribute both to the happiness and the sanctification of Christians, if it was always made a matter of strict attention and obedience. Many, it is to be believed, do faithfully and devoutly keep the spirit of it in their daily lives, and daily reap the precious reward which no one can estimate but they who enjoy it. But with many others the case is far different, even among those who are seeking spiritual things, and do know something, by experience, of the grace of God. Both among the poor and the rich, very much of the suffering with which this sinful world abounds, comes from a practical ignorance of our Lord's rule. Indeed, it is hardly to be calculated how great a portion of the worst misery which oppresses the weak and feeble-minded, arises entirely from this source. And we must recollect, that since Christ has provided one way of escaping and overcoming it, He cannot be expected to remove it in any other way. What we endure by neglecting his offered remedies, is of our own earning, and must be put down to that account. Therefore we must not think less (as we are often tempted to do) of the power and faithfulness of God, when we see some of his people not enjoying that general peace, tranquillity, and conso

lation, in their daily feelings, which Scripture tells us is their purchased inheritance. They are often found in a very different state of feeling from that "joy and peace," which are the fruits of the Spirit, by whom they are sealed unto the day of redemption. Sometimes they are exceedingly downcast and desponding, evidently full of anxieties and fears, and at other times, though not so completely oppressed, yet having about them a certain shadow of the same cloudiness, dark enough to spoil much of their spiritual comfort. And yet, there perhaps seems no reason to believe that they are, in any other respects, grieving the Spirit of God, or compelling Him to forsake them. In these circumstances, the reason is generally to be found in their not regarding the gracious and inestimable words of Christ at the head of these remarks. Their sorrows are frequently those of a future day, brought forward, by a vain foresight, to embitter the present. They are thinking of the troubles that may soon come upon them, or the comforts they are likely to lose, or of the arduous duties which hereafter may await them. Thus, not only is their cheerfulness destroyed, but what is of still more consequence to them even than that, their usefulness. For Christian duties cannot ever be properly performed, that is, not in the way Christ intended them to be, without a cheerful and happy frame of mind. They are to be done in faith and love, and wherever these graces are in healthy exercise, unless bodily causes may interfere, there must be sensible delight and happiness experienced. Peace in ourselves is the most fruitful parent of good works; and this is, perhaps, one of its greatest excellencies. It is the refreshing shower which makes the squl produce an abundant harvest. Any thing, therefore, that interferes with this, interferes with our future recompence; and it cannot be too much impressed upon the disciples of the Lord of life, that it is their duty to be "always rejoicing" in spirit. Now one of the great means of keeping up this rejoicing, is to put from us all sources of uneasiness which belong to the morrow. It is not only because they are unreal and unnecessary that we are to avoid them, but because Christ commands it. He gives us happiness for to-day, and a

away

duty for to-day; but as He does not tell us to do tomorrow's duty on this day, He does not provide us now with to-morrow's happiness. We have the present duties to look to, and it requires all our attention and thought to perform them aright. There is none to spare for things that may come by-and-by. But with respect to the present duties, if Christians were always to set themselves stedfastly to look at them, and them alone, it is certain that their frequent gloom and sadness would be dispelled and vanish. It has been often found so by those who, relying on the Lord's word, have attempted to obey Him on this point: the plan has been like a new discovery opened to them for preserving constant serenity, and has never failed to succeed. To leave all future evils out of our calculation, to cover them with forgetfulness, to keep our eye stedfastly fixed before us upon immediate present duty, is to enjoy that peace which passeth all understanding. We may put it into practice at once, and every day. In the morning, when we rise, and when Satan frequently fills our minds with unnecessary thoughts, no doubt in order to divert us from considering our proper business, then let us learn to practise rigidly the rule of our Lord. We may thence carry it entirely through the day, and every thing we do will be performed with a pleasure and a readiness, as blessed to ourselves as it is well-pleasing to God. And when evening comes, and our tempter is again trying to throw into our mind anxieties about the morrow, that he may hinder our prayers, and take away that "sleep" which the Lord giveth to "his beloved" again let us refuse all such contemplations, and lay ourselves down in peace, having made our requests known unto God. Let us remember that we have but one duty at that hour-to obtain forgiveness for the sins of the day, to wash ourselves anew by faith in the blood of the Lamb, to be at peace with God and man, and then to commend our spirit into the hands of Him who may either at once take it to Himself, or keep it to serve Him again on earth. E.

ON THE USE OF PRAYER.

BEFORE you enter into prayer, ask thy soul these questions: first, To what end, O my soul, art thou r

into thy place? Art thou not come to discourse with the Lord in prayer? Is He present? Will He hear thee? Is He merciful? Will He help thee? Is thy business slight? Is it not concerning the welfare of thy soul? What words wilt thou use to move Him to compassion, to make thy preparation complete? Consider that thou art but dust and ashes, and He the great God, Father of our Lord. Jesus Christ, that clothes Himself with light as with a garment; that thou art but a poor crawling worm,-He the Omnipotent Creator. In all your prayers forget not to thank the Lord for His mercies; and when thou prayest, rather let thy heart be without words, than thy words without a heart.

Prayer will make a man cease from sin, or sin will make a man to cease from prayer. The spirit of prayer is more precious than treasures of gold and silver, therefore pray often; for prayer is a shield to the soul, a sacrifice to God, and a scourge for the devil; therefore, the more prayer is offered up to God, with a true spirit, the more the Lord will bless us, and at last receive us into his heavenly kingdom, there to reign with Him for ever and ever, singing praises to God and the Lamb, who has redeemed us, and will present us faultless before the presence of his glory, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Sent by T. T. Bush.

A SHORT DIALOGUE BETWEEN A LANDLORD AND HIS TENANT, WITH SOME OBSERVATIONS THEREON.

Landlord. WELL, Thomas, what is your pleasure at this early time of the day? I hope all is going on well in your farm?

Tenant. Far from it, Sir. My rent should really be lowered. I can't go on in this way much longer, the outgoings are so great

L. What do you mean-the tithes, the poor-rates, the

assessment.

T. Yes, Sir, exactly; I pay more than I can afford in these times; I assure you, Sir, the rates are many of them increasing. The collector never goes away unpaid by me.

L. Yes, you pay him, 'tis true; but it is with my money. T. Your money, Sir! How can that be? Did I ever come to you for a single farthing since I entered the farm, and have not I always paid my rent regularly?

L. Certainly you have; but this does not alter our relative position. I say, you pay these outgoings, but that it is with my money. The rent, I admit, you pay with your own.

T. I protest, Sir, I cannot understand you; when of all that I have paid to the collector I never asked you for a single shilling, nor ever received from you a single shilling, towards such outgoings.

L. Not since your lease was granted to you, five years ago; but before that, you made all these deductions, and more too, as I shall soon show you, and therefore have been discharging the rates with my money.

T. I should be glad to know, Sir, how you can possibly make such a strange assertion as that any part of your money has gone towards them?

L. In this way, Thomas; and now answer my question fairly, and you will be convinced that what I assert is nothing but the truth, and, as you will find, only a part of the truth, for I have even paid more by ten pounds a year than you have done for those very rates that you now make a ground for reducing the rent. Did not you, before you took the lease, make inquiry into every outgoing of the farm?

T. Yes, I certainly did, as it became me, in order to know what I was doing. It would have been very foolish and improvident to have acted otherwise.

L. Perhaps so; and it might have been equally foolish and improvident in me, too, not to have looked more minutely than I did into this very matter. However, the thing is done, and I am the sufferer, as I shall proceed to show.

T. I can't imagine how that is to be done.

L. In this way. Did you not tell me, before you agreed for the lease, that the outgoings were 100%., and that you would pay so much the less rent on that very account?

T. I believe I did; and it was the truth, as nearly as I could get the estimate at the time.