able to help himself; he might even love his men as his own children, and yet he cannot give them what he cannot earn himself. They all " go down in the world"

together, and come to utter poverty. There is nothing, therefore, more certain in all the world, than that the prosperity of the master leads to advantage to the man; and that his poverty must of necessity lead to their being poor too. This is now more understood in many parts of England than it used to be. The workmen are becoming more acquainted with what is their own real interest, and are, therefore, become better citizens, wiser and quieter men. We insert an extract from the greatest newspaper in England underneath, which shows the good feeling of the people at Manchester, who, it unhappily appears, are suffering severely from want of trade. They feel that this want is not the fault of their masters, but their misfortune. The causes are quite beyond their power to create or to destroy. It seems likely, we fear, that these causes may increase rather than diminish; for all Europe is too much in commotion to give orders for English goods just yet, or to be able to pay for them. But we hope that the workpeople of our country will still know their own interest, and remember that they cannot make things better by any efforts of their own, until the tide of affairs turns by the guiding of Providence, and brings back the prosperity of commerce to our shores. The country which shall be most at peace within itself, will be sure to rise the first to riches and abundance. Tumult and disturbance drive prosperity away from every city or country where they prevail. We cannot now say much about the affairs of our most neighbouring country, France. Soon we may have an awful lesson to teach, coming from that unhappy land. We can only now mention the fact, that there they are trying the experiment of compelling the masters of every trade and manufacture to give more wages than they can possibly afford; and that day after day the masters are becoming poorer and poorer; and already many are ruined bankrupts. I need not repeat that the men are ruined too, when this is the case; and the suffering which now awaits them all, both masters and men, is too dreadful

to think of, and yet too certain to be doubted by any reflecting man in England, whether rich or poor.

STATE OF TRADE IN MANCHESTER.

"The depression in this town still continues, and the tendency is even yet downwards. The market this week was in a stagnant state, all exports to the continent being at an end, and nearly all orders either suspended or cancelled. Of the home trade, the same may be said this week that we noted last. The demand is very slight, with no prospect of immediate amendment; as every class of the community is suffering from the effects of diminished trade in all departments of manufactures. The working-classes continue in a peaceful and orderly state, manifesting no symptoms of riot, nor the slightest desire to disturb public tranquillity. The conduct of this numerous body of men is worthy of high commendation; for had they listened to the wild and arrant nonsense so plentifully administered during the late disturb ances by idle and disorderly demagogues, the town and district might at this moment have been in a state bordering on insurrection. It is matter, therefore, for congratulation that the labouring classes are imbued with right principles, and that they entertain, as we believe they all do, the strongest dislike to riotous and disorderly proceedings. In no other district in the kingdom, perhaps, has so striking a change taken place as in Manchester and the surrounding towns in the expression of public opinion. The entire population, with few exceptions, are firmly convinced that no practical good can result from mere physical force. They believe that in periods of distress and privation like the present, the evil is only increased by recourse to violence. During the past week there has been a large falling off in the number of people working full time. The official return for the week just ended gives the following results :Number of hands last week working full time, 30,965 in the present week, 30,249. The number last week working short time was 5,616; in the present week, 5,505. The number last week wholly out of employment was 7,950; in the present week, 8,785."-Times.

EXTRACT FROM MY FAMILY BIBLE.

MATTHEW Xxi. 33 to the end.

HERE is another parable directed, as the chief priests and Pharisees found out, against themselves; and so angry were they that they would have laid hands upon our blessed Lord, and killed Him at once; but that they were afraid of the multitude, who looked upon Him as a prophet, and would have protected Him from the violence of their rulers. How truly does this parable fit the Jews who persecuted or slew so many of the prophets whom God sent to them, from Moses to John the Baptist, and then finished with crucifying the Son of God; by this last act of wickedness fulfilling the Scripture of Psalm cxviii. verse 22, "The stone which the builders refused is become the head of the corner." For Christ, whom they rejected, became the foundation of the eternal hope of all other nations, while the kingdom of God, or the benefits of the Gospel, were taken away from the Jews as a nation, and enjoyed by other nations bringing forth the fruits of it, as England, for instance, does at this moment, though, alas! in too small a degree. The Jews, and all those unbelievers who have fallen against the Rock of Christ, have been broken miserably, beaten in argument and utterly put to shame; and upon those, who to the end of their lives have provoked Christ by their unbelief, and by their insolence, He has violently fallen and ground them to powder. He has not only made them feel the weight of the evidence of the truth of his religion; but He has visited them with the full sense of the curse that was upon them for having disbelieved and vilified the name of Him by whom alone they could be reconciled to their offended God. Thus both in the Jews and in unbelievers of later times, has the prophecy of Isaiah' here alluded to by our Lord been faithfully fulfilled. May you and I, my dear family, have grace to remain in the faith grounded and settled, and never be moved away from the hope of our calling in Christ Jesus, in whom we have all things, and without whom we are lost, yea lost A LAYMAN.

for ever.

1 Isa. viii. 14, 15.

CHARACTER OF MUNDANUS; OR, A MAN "WISE IN THIS

WORLD."

MUNDANUS is a man of excellent parts, and clear apprehension. He is well advanced in age, and has made a great figure in business. Every part of trade and business that has fallen in his way has had some improvement from him; and he is always contriving to carry every method of doing any thing well to its greatest height. Mundanus aims at perfection in every thing. The soundness and strength of his mind, and his just way of thinking upon things, makes him intent upon removing all imperfections.

He can tell you all the defects and errors in all the common methods, whether of trade, building, or improving land or manufactures. The clearness and strength of his understanding, which he is improving by continual exercise in these matters, by often digesting his thoughts in writing, and trying every thing every way, has rendered him a great master of most concerns in human life. Thus has Mundanus gone on increasing his knowledge and judgment, as fast as his years came upon him.

The one only thing which has not fallen under his improvement, nor received any benefit from his judicious mind, is his devotion: this is just in the same poor state it was when he was only six years of age; and the old man prays now in that little form of words which his mother used to hear him repeat night and morning.

This Mundanus, that hardly ever saw the poorest utensil, or ever took the meanest trifle into his hand, without considering how it might be made or used to better advantage, has gone all his life long praying in the same manner as when he was a child, without ever considering how much better or oftener he might pray, without considering how improveable the spirit of devotion is, how many helps a wise and reasonable man may call to his assistance, and how necessary it is that our prayers should be enlarged, varied, and suited to the particular state and condition of our lives.

If Mundanus sees a book of devotion, he passes it by as he does a spelling-book, because he remembers that

he learned to pray so many years ago, under his mother, when he learnt to spell.

Now, how poor and pitiable is the conduct of this man of sense, who has so much judgment and understanding in every thing but that which is the whole wisdom of

man!

And how miserably do many people more or less imitate this conduct!—From Law's "Serious Call." E. D.

EXTRACTS FROM DIFFERENT AUTHORS.

THE THIRD COMMANDMENT.-This commandment is broken by the wanton, needless, and irreverent mention of the name of God in common conversation. How general is the custom of introducing that sacred name, not only without piety, but even without any reason ! What is this but to take it " IN VAIN?" How few, comparatively, are the companies in which some one or other will not grieve a man of real devotion by such exclamations as these “O Lord!” “God knows!" "O Christ !" "God bless me!" Is this treating the Almighty as we ought? Is it not making Him a common by-word, an unmeaning expletive in our conversation? The custom, though general, and though sanctioned by characters of high consideration in the world, is totally inconsistent with a holy, practical regard to God; that is, with real religion. His name the angels in heaven revere; and the mention of it should always impress his faithful

ser

vants on earth with deepest awe; according to that strong charge given to the ancient church, “That thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful name, THE LORD FORGETFULNESS OF GOD.—Through the mercy of God many of us have found repentance unto life; have

THY GOD."-Robinson.

fled for refuge to the hope set before them;

have

seen

their danger and fled to Christ. Think with yourselves what it is now to have escaped destruction; what it will be to hear our acquittal at the last day, when to others lasting fire." Let the sense of the mercy of God gild all it shall be said, "Depart from me, ye cursed, into everthe path of life. And since it is they who forget God that