"Bring the flask, the music bring,

"Joy shall quickly find us;

"Drink and dance, and laugh and sing,
"And cast dull care behind us."

When I got into the fields, I could not forbear com-; paring this song with the second lesson last Sunday evening at church; these were the words: Take heed lest at any time your heart be overcharged with drunkenness, and so that day come upon you unawares, for as a snare shall it come upon all them that are on the face of the earth.

Will. Why, to be sure if the second lesson was right, the song must be wrong.

Stock, I ran

over in my mind also a con parison between such songs as that which begins. with

"Drink and drive care away."

with those injunctions of holy writ, Watch and pray therefore, that you enter not into temptation; and again, Watch and pray that you may escape all these things. I say I compared this with the song I allude to,

"Drink and drive care away,

"Drink and be merry;
"You'll ne'er go the faster
"To the Stygian ferry."

I compared this with that awful admonition of Scripture how to pass the time, Not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantorness; but put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh to fulfil the lusts thereof.

Will. I am afraid, then, master, you would not much approve of what I used to think a very pretty song, which begins with,

A plague

"A plague on those musty old lubbers,
"Who teach us to fast and to think."

Stock. Will, what would you think of any one who should sit down and write a book or a song to abuse the clergy?

Will. Why I should think he was a very wicked fellow, and I hope no one would look into such a book, or sing such a song.

Stock. And yet it must certainly be the clergy who are scoffed at in that verse, it being their professed business to teach us to think and be serious.

Will. Aye, master, and now you have opened my eyes, I think I can make some of those comparisons myself between the spirit of the Bible and the spirit of these songs.

"Bring the flask, the goblet bring,"

won't stand very well in company with the threat of the prophet: Woe unto them that rise up early, that they may mingle strong drink.

Stock. Aye, Will; and these thoughtless people who live up to their singing, seem to be the very people described in another place as glorying in their intemperance, and acting what their songs describe; ---They look at the wine and say it is red, it moveth itself aright in the cup.

Will. I do hope I shall for the future not only become more careful what songs I sing myself, but also not to keep company with those who sing nothing else but what, in my sober judgment, I now see to be wrong.

Stock. As we shall have no body in the world to come, it is a pity not only to make our pleasures here consist entirely in the delights of animal life, but to make our very songs consist in extolling and exalt

ing

ing those delights which are unworthy of the man as well as of the Christian. If, through temptation o weakness, we fall into errors, let us not establish and confirm them by picking up all the songs and scraps of verses which excuse, justify, and commend sin. That time is short, is a reason given by these songmongers why we should give into greater indulgences. That time is short, is a reason given by the Apostle why we should enjoy our dearest comforts as if we enjoyed them not.

Now, Will, I hope you will see the importance of so managing, that our diversions (for diversions of some kind we all require,) may be as carefully chosen as our other employments. For to make them such as shall effectually drive out of our minds all that the Bible and the Minister have been putting into them, seems to me as imprudent as it is unchristian. But this is not all. Such sentiments as these songs contain, set off by the prettiest music, heightened by liquor, and all the noise and spirit of what is called jovial company, all this, I say, not only puts every thing that is right out of the mind, but puts every thing that is wrong into it. Such songs, therefore, as tend to promote levity thoughtlessness, loose imaginations, false views of life, forgetfulness of death, contempt of whatever is serious, and neglect of whatever is sober, whether they be love songs, or drinking songs, will not, cannot be sung by any man or any woman who makes a serious profession of Christianity*,

*It is with regret I have lately observed, that the fashionable autho and singer of songs more loose, profane, and corrupt, than any of those here noticed, not only received a prize as the reward of his important services, but received also the public acknowledgments of an illust gious society for having contributed to the happiness of their country !

I

THE

HISTORY

OF

TOM WHITE THE POSTBOY.

IN TWO PARTS.

PART I

TOM WHITE was one of the best drivers of a post

chaise on the Bath road. Tom was the son of an honest labourer at a little village in Wiltshire: he was an active industrious boy, and as soon as he was old enough he left his father, who was burthened with a numerous family, and went to live with farmer Hodg es, a sober worthy man in the same village. He drove the waggon all the week; and on Sundays, though he was now grown up, the farmer required him to attend the Sunday-school, carried on under the inspection of Dr. Shepherd, the worthy vicar, and always made him read his Bible in the evening after he had served his cattle; and would have turned him out of his service if he had ever gone to the ale-house for his own pleasure.

Tom