Some people are intemperate in drinking, some in eating, some in sleeping; some in reading, some in writing; some in running after preachers, some in never hearing a sermon; some in always thinking of the same subject, some in never sticking to one thing; some in never quitting home, some in never being there; some are intemperate in pleasure, others in grief; and scarcely any one now-a-days speaks forth the words of truth and soberness. In short, there is no one thing that can occupy the thoughts, or engage the feelings of men, but plenty are found to expend their intemperance upon it, and convert it into an idol. No heathen nation ever worshipped so many gods as are to be found in the British pantheon. Mammon and Fashion have the most numerous followers; the love of power and fame, the most devoted some new deity is continually brought forth for public adoration; whilst every individual has household gods of his own, in the shape of books, pictures, horses, grounds, or some one or more of the infinite number of objects which engross the affections of mankind, and seduce them from their allegiance to the Great Author of All. What has become of our good friend Burchell," to cry Fudge! to all this?

At a time when much zeal was shown for the suppression of intemperance, a new kind of drunkenness appeared, from which, perhaps, the friends of sobriety themselves were not entirely free. Innumerable advertisements had announced that Plutus, tired of his limping, had taken to the railway, and would visit every part of the world as fast as roads could be made for him. Forthwith, as if a second Peter the hermit had preached a new crusade, high and low, rich and poor, jew and gentile, men, women and children, in countless multitudes, poured forth, to bring their offerings to a god whom all could equally adore. Many sleek-faced saints were in the crowd, devoutly anxious that their alms might be done in secret. Bands of pilgrims came hourly, to consult the oracles. The priests of Mammon increased daily, and grew rich upon the offerings at the temple. Every town and village rang with the expected advent; every quiet

hamlet was astir with locomotion. The philosopher's stone was at last discovered: iron could be turned into gold by steam. The whole world was drunk with lust of wealth: covetousness, which is idolatry, overspread the land; and the Arch-Deceiver chuckled to behold his children dancing round their gilded calf, and crying, These be thy gods, O England!

Where is to be found the really sober man? one who has no God but the Lord JESUS CHRIST; who sets Him always before him as the model to be followed in all things; who is earnest in pursuit of truth and righteousness; "not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;" who lives "soberly, righteously and godly in this present world,” "giving all diligence" to add to his "faith, virtue, and to virtue, knowledge, and to knowledge, temperance ;" and continuing "in faith and charity and holiness, with sobriety?” Every inclination, every thought, every word, every action, partakes more or less of intemperance and idolatry, in proportion as it is separated from the One Only Source and Standard of Sobriety; and provided there be that separation, the Author of it is perfectly well satisfied to let men indulge their intemperance in their own way, and worship what idols they please.

LV.

A PRACTICAL DISCOURSE.

The old gentleman ended his harangue. The people heard it, and approved the doctrine, and immediately practised the contrary, just as if it had been a common sermon.-Poor Richard.

The story is told of a clergyman, who on taking the living of a drunken village, chose for the subject of his first discourse, the prevailing vice of the parish. The sermon was pronounced to be excellent, and the eloquence of the new vicar became the topic of village gossip. The following

sunday the church was crowded with an admiring throng, when, lo! the very same sermon was repeated. At the close of the service a discussion took place between the squire and the churchwarden, the ladies and the pew openers, and sundry other devout parishioners; when it was concluded that, as the attendance had been thin the previous sunday, and the sermon much spoken of, the vicar might have considered that his absent parishioners would like to have the benefit of the same discourse. The agitation thus quieted, the squire and his friends went home; the wine and the punch went round; and the publican and his customers grew patriotic over their cups. Sunday again arrived; the congregation gathered; the vicar ascended the pulpit, gave out his text, and preached the old sermon.

Patience availed no longer. A meeting was held at the Hall, and a deputation was appointed to wait on the vicar for an explanation. The vicar was all blandness and courtesy. He could not doubt the sincerity of the general approval of his discourse; nor that sentiments so highly esteemed would, if sufficiently enforced, produce the effect desired. But as he did not at present observe any such result from his sermon, he had made up his mind to repeat it till he did.

The anecdote is not a new one; nor, perhaps, a safe guide for village clergymen. It may nevertheless serve as a hint to a still more numerous class of persons, whoperhaps on the strength of the apostolic declaration, that faith cometh by hearing-seem to think, that to hear a good sermon tends as much to salvation, as to act according to its precepts. It may be that the sermons commonly heard have nothing in them to exercise the kind of hearing mentioned by One whose style of preaching was as different as his style of living, from that at present in vogue —the hearing of obedience. There is no lack of preachers; nor, if report be true, of eloquent ones-whether the state of religion and morals in the nation, affords satisfactory evidence of their efficiency, or not, is a question worthy the consideration of both clergy and laity.

LVI.

SOCIAL IMPROVEMENT.-No. 1.

The praiseworthy efforts of modern philosophers to improve the condition of their fellow-creatures are so varied and unremitting, that they can scarcely fail to raise a lasting monument to the moral and intellectual glory of human genius. A reference to one single maxim would alone be sufficient to display the moral glory to the eye of the admiring beholder. It may be called the polar star of modern philosophy: "The greatest happiness of the greatest number." If curiosity be roused to discover a constellation of equal magnitude, showing forth a corresponding intellectual glory, it will surely be gratified by a view of the sagacious policy couched under that other maxim for bringing about amelioration: "Give them wants."

To do justice to the moral, as well as the intellectual brilliancy of our philosophers, would possibly exceed the limits of ordinary powers. This paper soars not in such lofty flights. Its purport is confined to such slight touches as may serve to gather some scattered rays, haply tinged with evangelical hues. In an age when the very vault of heaven rings with religion-so little are its present professors satisfied with the "still small voice" which indicated the Divine presence of old-the inference seems unavoidable, that the maxim, "Give them wants," must have originated in the evangelical blessing pronounced on hunger and thirst: "Blessed are they that hunger and thirst," &c. The notion must have been, that a sense of want would be the forerunner of a desire for a better possession that a desire for a better possession would, again, be the forerunner of the exertion to obtain it, in firm reliance on the evangelical assurance of the success of the exertion: “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find :' and that reliance, so firm, could only be engendered by steadily obeying the unerring guidance, "Seek ye first the

VOL. I,

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kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."

The meaning, therefore, of our philosophical sages must have been, to "cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also :" to encourage a strenuous desire for industry, skill, thrift and cleanliness of mind in the durable concerns of heaven, in the certainty that industry, skill, thrift, and cleanliness of body would then be superadded on a firm foundation, for the due application of the passing resources of this world. They could not possibly have intended that any one should be listless about the great realities of eternity; be a bungler, or even utterly helpless in regard to their influence on his own heart; waste the wealth of a contented, thankful disposition in dissatisfaction with his lot; or neglect that glorious form which, under every variety of the material frame, was created to be an image of the Divine likeness. They could never mean to omit washing it from the defilements of self-love, in the "pure river of water of life." Such views would have been inconceivably senseless; because any industry, skill, thrift and cleanliness as regards the affairs of time, which might have been incorporated with the very reverse in regard to those of eternity, so far from improving any one's condition, would only make bad worse. They would have been the mere ravings of that which the lip of Truth has pronounced blindness; the deplorable blindness of making "clean the outside of the cup and platter, whilst within they are full of extortion and

Instructors so profound, so versed in the multiplied lights of the age, and so singularly fortunate in the enjoyment of existence at an era when they can scarcely breathe without inhaling the atmosphere of the gospel by mouthsful; such instructors could never have dreamed of the possibility of furthering the progress of the great human family towards the blessings of comfort and plenty, by fostering the spirit of discontent and covetousness. Neither could they have imagined, for instance, that the condition of a sempstress