humble without feigning; merry without lightness; sad without mistrust; sober without dulness; true without doubleness; fearing Thee without despair; trusting in Thee without presumption; telling my neighbours' faults without dissimulation; teaching them with words and examples without any mocking; patient without any grudging; and pure without corruption; perfectly desiring to know Thee; diligent to seek Thee; resolute to please Thee; and finally hopeful to be with Thee, O Father, for the precious merits of Thy Son: grant and give it me. Amen.

THE CONCLUSION.

I thank Thee, O holy, glorious, and blessed Trinity, with all my whole heart, for all the benefits which Thou hast given me. For in the time of ignorance Thou hast given me knowledge, in the time of need Thou hast given me comfort, and in necessities, sufficiency, and in trouble, deliverance, and in sickness, health. O holy God Almighty, all-merciful, good, and true, have mercy upon me, and all the children which Thou hast given me; and ever give us always Thy gracious comfort, necessary for soul and body, so that we fall not in Thy displeasure but have mercy upon us, have mercy upon all people, and direct our life and conversation to Thine honour all the days of our life, that we may say ever, Glory be to Thee, O Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. Amen.

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It is truly delightful to notice in the worm-eaten pages of the little volume from which these extracts are taken, the savour of Emmanuel's name which pervades the whole. It is as ointment poured forth." Such may it ever be to our readers, until they see Him as He is. We see also by "The Treasure of Gladness," that the religion which the Reformation sought to promote was a religion of PRAYER. The Roman Catholic Church crushed its members under a burden of unmeaning, or idolatrous, or unintelligible ceremonies, misnamed devotion. In place of these, it was the object of our reformers to substitute spiritual and scriptural prayer as the great

means of the soul's communion with God, rendering it "meet for the inheritance of the saints in light." Let us ever keep this in view. Then, and then only, is the soul enriched with the true "treasure of gladness," when "the unsearchable riches of Christ" are brought into it by a sacred communion with the throne of grace in prayer.

Prayer is converse with God. It brings the soul nigh to Him. It brings Him nigh to the soul. It is on our knees that we must carry on the great work of religion, -the work of preparation for the heavenly vision, and the glorious employments of the heavenly state. A PRAYERLESS SOUL IS A HOPELESS SOUL. The man who lives in the habit of spiritual prayer is at any time ready to pass into the holy of holies, whenever the veil of the flesh shall be torn asunder. It is by prayer on earth that the immortal spirit is tuned for the praises of heaven. -From "The Village," by the Rev. J. East.

THE NEW CHURCH.

No. XVIII.

"As

IN the brief and, I feel, very imperfect account of the new Church, given in the former numbers of the "Cottager's Visitor," I have endeavoured to set before my young readers the blessedness of being partakers of Divine grace; and I think I have proved that the principle is the same in all ages and in all conditions:with the priest, so with the people; as with the master, so with the servant; as with the old, so with the young; as with the rich, so with the poor." Grace, however, can never thrive in careless, negligent souls: the habits of grace are planted in the heart, and the more deeply they are fixed the more thriving and flourishing grace will be. We hear of being We hear of being "rooted and grounded." Grace in the heart is the root of every profitable word in the mouth, and of every holy work of the hand. In the accounts given of those who received the truth in the love of it at S―d, there was in all a diligent use made of appointed means. A person may go with a heedless spirit from ordinance to ordinance, and abide all their days under the choicest teaching, and yet never be improved by them. It is not enough to hear,

unless we take heed how we hear; we may even pray and not be better, unless we "watch unto prayer." We find old David W-ff, in his 87th year, still watching unto prayer, and thankfully receiving instruction from his minister and Christian friends. He did not consider conversion the work of a moment, but was most anxious for a growth in grace. So with Ann W-; grace made her diligent in teaching the lambs of Christ's fold, and looking from herself she fixed an eye of faith upon her Saviour, and waited for His salvation; but there was no idleness in her waiting: her life was short, but it was spent in diligently preparing for eternity. Then Ann B-, too, how earnestly did she labour to lead her family in the paths of holiness, and set apart a time in each day to pray for the different members of her family. The little Sunday-school child, Mary Ann F-, was just as diligent in her attendance upon instruction, and loved her teachers to the last. In all these instances I have endeavoured to show the great good resulting from faithful ministerial instruction, and also incidentally to prove the advantages of Church accommodation. It has been far from my intention to exalt the creature, or advocate sudden or noisy conversions; my wish has been, from first to last, to speak a word in season; and my only expectation of good has been from those texts of Scripture which from time to time I have quoted. If any good inclinations have been excited by the perusal of these humble memorials, let them be encouraged and promoted; let every good inclination be strengthened into purpose, every purpose into resolution, and every resolution be immediately completed in action. Oh, my dear young friends, do not trifle and delay! What is fit to be done to-morrow, as to the one thing needful, is far more fit to be done to-day. Again I would remind you, God's Spirit will not always strive with man. It is dangerous, then, to quench or resist His motions. Apply without delay to God for the grace I have been telling you of; continue praying and seeking, in the name of Christ, till you receive the blessing of the atoning blood of Jesus, that so you may be enabled to live a holy and heavenly life, or to experience a safe death. Do not be ridiculed out of

this pursuit after holiness, either by open sinners or empty professors. Examine the matter, seriously and impartially, whether such lives and deaths as have been set before you are fit for your imitation. This matter is not unworthy of your consideration. The soul is of infinite value. If these examples are worthy to be followed, let not an easily pronounced charge of hypocrisy or enthusiasm make you lightly esteem them, change your opinion, or cool your kindling purposes. Consider, for a moment, if Divine grace had been ruling the hearts of men in France, at this period, how far different her position would have been amongst the nations of the earth. Poor benighted Ireland also! If ministerial instruction, based upon the blessed Bible, had prevailed there, where would be the bloodshed and confusion? I answer, absorbed in that charity which "suffereth long, and is kind; that doth not behave itself unseemly; is not easily provoked; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth, and that beareth all things and endureth all things." Do not let us look with cold indifference on all that is passing; let us rather resort to the throne of grace for our poor misled brethren, that they may be taught the truth. In closing these papers, I am most thankful to be able to tell all who may feel an interest in the new Church and its proceedings, that God has not withdrawn His mercy from it. There is an excellent minister appointed over the flock-one who desires to spend and be spent for his people. The school still flourishes, and gives fair promise of an abundant harvest of immortal souls. I shall only add, I trust the "Cottager's Visitor" will long continue a welcome guest; and though many other excellent periodicals are now circulating for the benefit of all, we ought always to remember the many years this old friend has been endeavouring to instruct and do us good. I feel satisfied there never was a period when it became more our duty to attend to one short sentence upon its cover than the present. I desire, therefore, to commend it to your notice. It is" Fear God, and honour the king." I wish, in taking leave of my readers, to impress this sentence upon their regard, because I am convinced the thing is

most important, or it never would have found a place in the Bible. Finding it there, our wisdom is to receive it with every other sentence therein recorded. "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works." M. B.

RULES FOR HOLY LIVING.

XIII. OF SLEEP.

"When I wake up, I am still with thee."

RISE early; on first awaking do not parley; redeem the time. Endeavour to have prayer or praise, and thoughts of heavenly things, first in the morning and last in the evening.

Ask every night if you are as ready to die as to sleep.

XIV. OF THOUGHTS.

"Thou understandest my thoughts."

Remember that your thoughts are heard aloud in heaven. Cultivate a habit of governing the thoughts and imaginations. Do not suffer them to wander; frequently call them home.

Give your thoughts a subject on which to be employed at any vacant moment; such as the presence of God, the cross of Christ, the nearness of Eternity.

XV. OF WORDS.

"Let your speech be always with grace."

Avoid light, trifling, vain, and worldly conversation. Never speak merely to excite laughter. Never speak without thought. Never speak evil of any one.

Always intend the good of those whom you are addressing.

XVI. OF ACTIONS.

"Do all to the glory of God."

Frequently ask your heart if you are now doing the will of God.

Accustom yourself to do every thing in the name of