crucified.' When first he stood knocking at the door of my heart, my reply was 'Not yet, Lord; not yet.' I believed not the good report I had heard of him and his service, and was ready to say with Pharaoh, 'Who is the Lord that I should serve him?' Oh, how justly might he have turned away, and left me to my idols; for I was wedded to them! But, no, he came again and again, until at last, I said unto him, 'Yea, Lord, thy face will I seek.' Then I saw him ; and when I saw him, I gave him my heart at once, and was filled with great astonishment. I had suspected all that was written and said of Him before, but now I believe every word of it; and though my wicked and ungrateful heart is ever, even now, following hard after other gods, there is no thought so terrible to it as the fear that He whom my soul loveth' should withdraw himself, and leave me cold and lifeless as I was before. This may well be called the joy of first love; for I know nothing like it under heaven, and I am certain there is nothing like it under heaven.

“Ah! it does not last long! these visits to 'the banqueting house' are few and ar between.' If it were not so, there would be no such a thing as passing through 'great tribulation;' and how would the partakers of the Redeemer's resurrec

tion and glory be made also conformable to his death and sufferings? I never could form the slightest idea, except a poetic one, of what heaven is; but now I know, and have tasted in what the glory of it consists: it is not in harps and crowns of gold, nor even in meeting again those we love; for the rapture of that place is in being in the presence of God, and seeing the Saviour face to face! I may say, with a good man long since gone home, 'If there be any other heaven beside the presence of Christ, I shall not covet it.'

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My heart has said in some moments, 'Why tarry his chariot wheels?' and then, if it were not for the earthly part of death, which the flesh hangs back from, I could have stretched forth my arms, and gone to Him, leaving all behind; yes, even you, my dearest and best of all earthly idols, though I once thought-If you died, I should die directly. How wonderful! Educational religion and real faith in the soul, are no more like one another than Mohammedism is like Christianity.

"I am ready to exclaim, Will no one rejoice with me that I am 'passed from death unto life?' They would rejoice if I had an estate left me, a poor, perishable, earthly estate, to carry my foolish heart farther from God than ever; but no one seems to care that I am delivered from the power of Satan, and translated into the kingdom

of God's dear Son! If it is given me, through mercy, to stand at the right hand of God, will they not then be glad that I am among them?

"Some time ago I looked into every face for a smile, at least to say, Art thou also made partaker of like precious faith' with us? But I have left off looking now: one has his 'farm;' another his merchandise;' they have no time to talk about these things. While you are saying, 'Come and hear what the Lord hath done for my soul,' they are calling, Come and see what I am doing for my body. Alas! there are none to speak often together of the Lord, that a 'book of remembrance' may be written! To you, therefore, that believe he is precious.' Is he not precious to them? Much I wonder they can help talking of him. If a man love me he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him.' Oh, glorious promise! My faith is extremely weak and confused; yet it is sufficient to give me unspeakable joy. What I long to ask is, If real believers can remember the time when they were confused respecting many things, and could not tell whether they believed rightly or not? Can you remember such a time? and did your views gradually become more clear? I mean, did you at first rest and trust at once in Christ? or did you work hard for

some time without him, not understanding how to rest and trust in him? This I have done; and since I tried to be better, I have found myself worse than ever."

SHORT OBSERVATIONS.

WHEN I see rich people care so much for their bodies, and so little for their souls, I pity them from the bottom of my heart, and sigh to myself, "We may be as surely ruined by riches as by poverty !"

Many a man would prove to be an excellent physician to himself, if he would take all the good advice that he gives away to others.

He who goes into his garden to look for cobwebs and spiders will no doubt find them; while he who looks for a flower, may return into his house with one blooming in his bosom.

Have a care in climbing high trees and high stations if you fall from the bottom bough it will shake you; if from the top one, it may break your neck.

Who makes his bed of brier and thorn,

Must be content to lie forlorn.

The reptile in human form should be avoided with care you may rub off the slime of a snail, but not the slime of a slanderer.