DARE LUCEM ET SERVARE VITAM.

ST. PAUL'S description of the state of society at Athens in his day-as deeply infected with that diseased and sickly appetite-only to be satisfied with the telling or hearing of something new, seems to present too true a picture of the state of the many in our own times.

Long, indeed, has that natural solidity of mind, that disposition to content, created and fostered in

B

the minds of Englishmen by the purity of our common faith, the restraining and ameliorating power brought to bear upon the population by the machinery of our Established Church, and the wisdom of laws in unison with the same principles, preserved us from drinking into that spirit which has been the fruitful source of so much misery in all ages-of the effects of which, in modern times, the history of France especially holds out an awful and warning lesson. But the annals of our own once happy, once contented land now, alas! afford abundant conviction that this love of something new has been imported, and is being cultivated amongst us to a fearful and dangerous extent. It seems to threaten the alteration, if not the existence, of every institution whether in Church or State, however hallowed by time, or consecrated by the piety or wisdom of our fore-fathers, which does not fall in with the self-styled liberal, but truly-styled levelling, principles of this age. In short the very fact of its being old seems, in the view of many, to be reason enough for its being done away

with.

We have been led to indulge these rather gloomy feelings as the thought passed through our mind, What will they say when they see THE CORNISH PAROCHIAL VISITOR' making its appearance in 1837 as the same 'LIGHT FROM THE WEST,' with the same device, and the same motto on it as it had in 1832? We can easily imagine many and very different things to be said. Some have had

Some

enough of this old story, and want something new. Some will object to this, and some to that. will think it very strange in liberal times like these

that Ministers of the Church of England should say any thing in defence of, or in behalf of the Church to which they belong-some that our 'Light' is dull! Well, be it as it may, as was our design in 1832, such is it in 1837! Whereto we have already attained in giving life and preserving light,' we desire still to walk by the same rule, to mind the same thing. Where we have come short, we would have indulgence from our readers, as pardon from Him whose cause it has been our desire to promote.

And may He, who is Light itself, so "Lighten our darkness," nerve our arm and clear our view,'that (with the aid of those who hitherto have helped us, and those who yet may be disposed to promote our work and labour of love,) the oil which feeds our light being the true oil of the Sanctuary, every spiritual voyager that would steer his vessel laden with Heaven's high hopes' to the wished-for port, may find in our pages, if not the new lights of modern inventions, yet those reflected beams of that true Light which we can hold up with sure confidence as still the all-sufficient guide"the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever."

THE CONVERSION OF ST. PAUL.

January 25th.

It was a custom in the church of Christ, long before popery abused it to idolatrous purposes, to commemorate any great event in her history by setting apart certan days for special humiliation or thanksgiving. At the era of the blessed Reformation,

when by the grace of God our forefathers rescued our National Church from the filthiness and pollutions of Rome, by re-establishing sound doctrine and spiritual worship, they appointed the religious observance of such seasons as were consistent with the principles and general practice of the primitive Church. Thus while they relieved us from a load of useless services, which, during the high and palmy days of popery, had been heaped upon the nation; they directed us to keep such holy-days as were useful to connect us with the past, and excite our gratitude to God for the labours of those his devoted servants who were eminently instrumental in the advancement of his kingdom. Amongst these the Apostle Paul has a distinguished place, not only as a remarkable example of the grace of God, but as one who contributed so largely to the spread of the gospel throughout the world.