mass of corrupt communication is perpetually produced in their daily interconrse with one another, without a single sentiment flowing from the lips of any to the use of edifying, so as to minister grace unto the hearers! And what tends to make the evil greater, as if the contagion of the stable, in the corruption of manners, had not sufficient scope for exercise during the six days labor of the week, there is no remission to this unhappy class of beings on the Lord's day. The warning bell of the church, which kindly calls all ranks without discrimination to the house of prayer, calls in vain to them. Unaccustomed to any means of grace, and unacquainted with either the morning prayer or the evening worship; they who among them find no immediate employment, lounge their time in the stable; while by far the greater part are engaged as drivers of stages, and diligences, and chaises, to conduct, in defiance of all laws human and divine, a set of Sabbathbreakers like themselves, in their several journies of business, and journies of pleasure. The number which the various inns of the kingdom forth upon those occasions every Lord'sday, is incalculable.

pour

How frequently hath it excited my commiseration, when, in some sweet morning of the Sabbath, the diligence hath passed the street under my window. Alas! I have said, "what "a wretched way of life must that be, which "loses the very distinction of days by such uninterrupted labor! Surely, except in form,

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"there can be no difference of character between "the driver and the horses; when both are "trained to expect the going over the same "tract of ground in their daily labor." How irresistibly hath my heart sometimes, when pursuing the reflection, been impelled to admire, and in that admiration to adore, the distinguishing grace of GoD! Who maketh thee to differ from another? is a sweet morsel for the gracious soul to feed on, whenever such occasions of reflection occur. I have felt the full force of it many times on the LORD's day; particularly when in the same moment, in which I have beholden a party of pleasure-loving creatures, driving through the streets on their various excursions, in order to consume this blessed day in idleness and dissipation; I have seen some gracious souls gladly hastening to the house of GOD, to adore His goodness, to hear His Word, and to implore the effusion of the Spirit on churches, and on the ministers and people, on this sacred day of rest!

-The reader will pardon this digression, I hope, induced by the impulse of the moment.—

My friend, as was before observed, had left me in the inn, in order to visit those regions of ignorance and sin which the stable furnisheth. And never surely was a mission to the most darkened nations of any hemisphere more needed, than to such British heathens of our

own.

My friend possessed every requisite for the office. Added to a natural gentleness of man

ners and a suavity of deportment, he had acquired the most winning art of persuasion. He knew how to adapt his discourse in the least offensive method, so as to arrest the attention of his hearers. And although few perhaps were ever better formed to shine in the circle of the great and the learned; yet he had imbibed the full spirit of the Apostle's lesson, and knew how to condescend to men of low estate.

His first endeavour was directed to find out some leading trait of character in the poor uninformed mind of the person he addressed. His next object was to suit his discourse in correspondence to this apprehension. And in cases where but little opportunity offered of a personal conversation, if providentially any of the fraternity had acquired any knowledge in letters; he had the pleasing art of prevailing upon them to accept of one or more of the pious little tracts, which are now so generally circulated, and which he always carried about with him in his pocket for this purpose.

THE STABLE BOY.

Ir so happened that a poor boy, who acted as subordinate to the ostler in the stable, and indeed as a general underling to all the menial servants of the inn, was engaged in rubbing down one of the horses in the stall, when my friend entered the stable. The gentleness and condescension with which my friend bid him good morrow," so very dissimilar to the surly

language which he in general received from his, companions, soon called up his attention. And as my friend entered farther into conversation with him, first on subjects pertaining to his office, and then by an easy transition, and by a manner peculiarly his own, on matters of an higher nature; the poor lad's heart, like that of Lydia mentioned in Scripture, was opened to attend to the things spoken.

The subject (as I afterwards learnt) to which my friend adverted, was the happiness of that rest which remaineth for the people of GoD, in the upper and brighter world; contrasted to the toilsome and unsatisfying nature of all things here below. And when he came to describe the love of the Lord Jesus in purchasing this rest for His people, and His affectionate desires that the poor, and the weary, and the heavy laden should come to Him and find this rest unto their souls; the poor youth, unable to contain his emotions, melted into tears. He did not in so many words what he felt, but his eyes expressed it. My friend who possessed great quickness of penetration, perceiving the effect, without seeming to notice it, then made his discourse somewhat more personal; and held forth the pleasing consideration to his view, that this love of the Lord Jesus was intended for him. The poor boy wiped away the tear which had fallen on his cheek, and drew nearer to my friend, as to one whose kindness had begotten confidence and affection; and manifested that kind of sympathy of soul, which seemed to

say

thank him for what he had said, and to request

him to say more.

THE DISASTER.

INTERESTED in the highest degree with this awakened concern in the youth, my friend had forgotten the situation of one of the horses in the stall near him, and was unconscious of any danger until he felt its effect. By a violent kick which he received in his side just beneath the ribs, he was thrown on the pavement in the stable, and remained in a state of insensibility for a considerable time, after we had brought him into the house and placed him on the bed. The alarm, given on the first rumour of this disaster, soon reached my ears; and it was some consolation to me in the very afflicting circumstance, that I was present to see him taken up, and very gently carried to his chamber.

As soon as he had recovered from his fainting, I ventured to approach his bed-side, and taking him by the hand, expressed my great concern for what had happened. "How un"fortunate (I exclaimed) is it, that you should "have gone to the stable! how sad a thing, "that you should have stood near this horse! "If one could but have foreseen""Be "patient, my kind friend, I beg of you" (he "interrupted me with saying); " and in "affection for me, do not forget the first principles of your holy faith. ing wholly to second causes,

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