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thus was the faith of this servant of God rewarded. And faith is one of the great lessons we are to learn from his history. As for the sinful Israelites, whose carcases fell in the wilderness, we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief." It was by unbelief that we are told they provoked God in the wilderness, and tempted and grieved his Holy Spirit, and lost their inheritance. O let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of us should seem to come short of it. Let us earnestly pray for faith; let us seek to strengthen it by studying God's holy Word, and seeing how faithful He is to his promises; let us strive after it daily for according to the strength of our faith, will be our obedience, our holiness, our happiness.

We see in Caleb's history a striking fulfilment of the words, "According to your faith be it unto you." As he believed, so was it done to him, and so will it be with us. If we do not believe we shall have no blessing; but blessed is he who trusteth in the Lord from henceforth and for ever. Nothing shall in any wise hurt him; he shall have strength to overcome all his spiritual enemies, and finally be more than conqueror through Him who hath loved him.

Again, beware of indecision in religion. “The doubleminded man is unstable in all his ways"-has no peace, no sure confidence, nothing to strengthen him in holiness; is unstablished, unstrengthened, unsettled; he is in darkness, and must lie down hereafter in darkness and in sorrow; he is lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, and we know the fate of such-they shall be finally rejected".

These beautiful lines of Milton appear singularly to describe the character of Caleb :

"Servant of God, well done! well hast thou fought

The better fight, who single hast maintain’d,

Against revolted multitudes, the cause

Of truth, in word mightier than they in arms;

And for the testimony of truth hast borne

Universal reproach; far worse to bear
Than violence: for this was all thy care,

To stand approved in sight of God, though worlds
Judged thee perverse."

7 Rev. iii. 15, 16.

M. J. A.

"WHERE THERE IS A WILL THERE IS A WAY."

MR. EDITOR,-May I be permitted to draw the attention of your readers to the following incident, which I lately read in a work called "Savage Life and Scenes in Australia and New Zealand:""On the 18th of May, 1843, the brig' Clarence,' of Sydney, while on a whaling voyage, fell in with a canoe at sea containing thirty-nine naked savages, who were taken on board in a most exhausted state, having been at sea twenty-two days, four of which they had passed without food or water. On the 20th, the captain landed the natives on one of their islands, with the exception of a young man and a boy, who continued in the brig: the boy was much noticed by one of the sailors, who taught him his prayers, and actually took the trouble to cut out of sperm whalebone the alphabet, which the lad learned, and could arrange in a correct manner. The latter is now at Sydney, adopted by a gentleman in the Audit Office, who is giving him a good education: he is supposed to be about ten years of age, and can read and write well, and lately obtained a prize at a public examination."

The Christian interest which this worthy sailor showed for the instruction of the young heathen, during the short period of their companionship, affords a striking example of the time and opportunities that may be redeemed for God's service, where the heart is willing. I would add another fact of somewhat similar import: a young lad who had enjoyed the privilege of passing the first years of service in a well-regulated pious family, was next engaged by a physician of considerable eminence in London. On being asked after a while how he liked his new situation, the youth observed with sorrow, that he was unable to go to a place of worship on the Lord's day, as his master had his carriage out for medical visits on Sundays, just as much as on week days; and as it was his business to go out with him, the day passed away in this manner until he returned to his in-door work. "I should have had little study in the word of God," he said, "but for the coachman, who goes out with me; he carries a Bible in his pocket, and when my Ꭰ Ꮞ

master alights to visit the sick, he draws it out and reads, and asks me Scripture questions during the time we have to wait: this is the best means of instruction I have."

We read in Scripture that "he that watereth, shall be watered also himself;" and we earnestly believe this will ever be fulfilled to those who are thoughtful for the spiritual interests of others. The examples of both teacher and learner in this little incident are worthy of imitation, as showing the time that may be redeemed for spiritual instruction, even under unfavourable circumstances. We are decidedly of opinion, that no profession or calling can justify indifference to God's service; and we would press on those who are exclusively pursuing the things of time, the solemn reflection that they are taking in exchange for their eternal interests, that of which a day, an hour, or a moment may dispossess them: for "the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night;" and then shall the words of the angel in the vision be fulfilled, that "there shall be time no longer'. C. S.

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CHRIST FORBIDS WORLDLY CAREFULNESS.

MATTHEW vi. 24, &c.

OUR SAVIOUR had charged his disciples not to lay up treasures upon earth. In this passage He gives them another command that appears much more difficult to obey, that is, He forbids them to be anxious about needful food and raiment. We are naturally inclined to think it impossible not to be anxious about the means of our support; but God graciously offers many arguments to prevent our indulging in such cares.

Do we doubt God's power to provide for us? Who was it gave us life and made our bodies? Is it not much easier to clothe, and to feed, than to create us? Do we doubt the kindness of the Lord? Does He not 'condescend to feed the ravens and clothe the lilies ? and are we not much better than they? that is, much

more precious in his sight than birds or flowers? Therefore we see that we dishonour God by doubting whether He will provide for our need.

It is also useless to be anxious about the future. By taking thought we cannot add one cubit to our height, nor one moment to our lives. We know from other parts of Scripture that God does not desire us to be idle or improvident; He only forbids useless tormenting fears about the future.

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And why does He forbid such thoughts? Because there is a nobler object set before us, which requires all our thoughts. "The kingdom of God and his righteousness. This kingdom we must seek earnestly, or we shall not obtain it. If our thoughts are occupied about earthly things, we shall lose our heavenly inheritance. Christ said, Ye cannot serve God and mammon" (or the world). Neither can we be intent upon what we shall eat, and drink, and wear, and at the same time be seeking God. Christ said, that the Gentiles thought of these things. The Gentiles at that time were ignorant heathens, they knew not God, therefore they were occupied with earthly cares; but we ought not to be like them. If we wish to discover our state before God, let us examine with what subjects our thoughts are generally occupied. Of course, while we are engaged upon any business, our minds must be upon that business; but after it is done, our thoughts fly to the objects we most delight in. If we are God's children, our thoughts will often fly to heaven, our Father's house; but if we are not born again they will grovel upon the earth. This is God's own rule, 66 They that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit."

It may appear to us a trifling sin to be engrossed with earthly thoughts; but it is a sign that we are in the flesh, not born again of the Spirit. Now it is written, "They that are in the flesh cannot please God'." How dreadful it would be to die in this state!

How kindly God undertakes to keep us from want,

1 Rom. viii. 8.

while we are seeking spiritual blessings with all our hearts! "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you." How happy should we be, even in this world, if we would obey this command! "Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." It is much pleasanter to be thinking of heaven and Christ, than to be dwelling upon the evils of life; and oh, how much safer is it! For though it is useless to take thought about earthly things, it is of the greatest use to take thought about spiritual things. By thinking of hell, we shall be led to flee from it; by thinking of sin, to dread it; by thinking of righteousness, to implore God to bestow it upon us, even Christ's righteousness upon his guilty creatures.-Light in the Dwelling.

CONSECRATION OF THE CATHEDRAL OF CALCUTTA, THE CAPITAL CITY OF INDIA.

FOR many years past it has been the anxious desire of the excellent Bishop of Calcutta, Dr. Daniel Wilson, to see in India a sacred building to the name of Christ worthy of being called a cathedral, which there was not before. He felt that the mind of the natives of that country, devotedly fond of magnificence, required to see the outward appearance of grandeur attached to our religion, in order to reverence it as they ought. They think it impossible that their English conquerors can have much regard for their own religion, if they do not give liberally of their wealth to raise churches as costly as the palaces in which they live. They themselves have never spared their money to erect handsome temples to their false gods; and they cannot suppose that the true God should have temples inferior to theirs, when Christians are so wealthy as to be well able to overmatch them.

The Bishop was also anxious to have a body of clergymen gathered together at Calcutta, who could keep up the practice of daily offering the prayers of our Church, as in our Cathedrals in England; and so offer to the converted Hindoos, as well as the resident Europeans, the means of worshipping God in public twice