invigorated, and he grows kinder and more amiable; but he delights chiefly in the company of his fellow-saints, because he can maintain purer and holier communion with them; and his attachment to their persons and their society increases with his grace. Christians of different denominations may converse together as agreeably and as profitably as Christians of the same denomination. They agree in all the essentials of religion, and differ only in non-essential points; on which they may debate with temper, or consent to wave them. That asperity, that illiberality, and those reproaches and sarcasms which abound too generally in controversies on these inferior subjects, however they may be glossed over with a plausible zeal for the honour of Christ, are, in reality, only the overflowings of a proud heart, complacently exulting in its own wisdom, and looking down with supercilious contempt on those who presume to call its infallibility in question. "Every man," says Luther, "is born with a pope in his belly;"-and the pope, in some good men, seems to have lost but little of his power.

6. Greater liberty in secret prayer, is another proof of growth in grace. I lay no stress on the gift of prayer, because there is no regular proportion between graces and gifts. Little grace is sometimes decorated with splendid gifts; while eminent piety is often sparingly adorned with them. The grace of prayer increases when you feel greater fervency and enlargement, when you are able to continue longer in prayer without flagging, when you can controul your thoughts better than formerly, prevent them from wandering, and fix them with more intenseness and stability on God, when you can support your petitions with a greater number of evangelical arguments, better adapted to your case than you could formerly recollect. If you examine the intercessory prayer of our Lord, in John xvii. or the Psalms of David, or the prayers of eminent saints, which are recorded in Scripture as models for our imitation, you will find that they abound with arguments. The supplicant is not satisfied with merely presenting his petition to God, and barely stating his request, but enforces it with suitable pleas, drawn principally from the glory and promises of God. These strengthen faith, and render prayer eflicacious; and then you are led to intercede much for the salvation of your fellow-creatures.

7. The last evidence I shall mention is, A decreasing attachment to the world; which is discoverable by three marks; viz. You take less pleasure in it, feel less desire after it, and are less anxious about it.

And here let me endeavour to make a pointed application of the preceding remarks. How is it with you, my dear readers? After carefully examining yourselves, and strictly comparing your present state with your state at some preceding period, is the result favourable? Do you grow in grace? Surely, I need not say any thing to enforce so important a subject. Its

importance must be felt by every child of God who laments his depravity, and hungers and thirsts after righteousness.

I shall now proceed to the second part of my subject; viz. What are the surest and most efficacious means to promote growth in grace?

This interesting question suggests two others; viz. What methods does God generally adopt to make his people grow in grace? and, What means are we to make use of to accomplish so desirable an end?

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The holy Spirit is the great Author of our first conversion, and subsequent progress in sanctification; yet, he treats us as reasonable creatures, and operates upon us in those ways which are most agreeable to our rational nature. I do not represent the means which he uses as necessary, or to insinuate that he could not sanctify us as rapidly and as thoroughly without them as with them. He who said, Let there be light, and the light was,' can illuminate the understanding, and perfectly impress. his image on the heart in a moment. It is evident that God makes use of secondary causes in the government of his kingdoms of nature and providence; which, being controuled and managed by him, have an admirable fitness to produce the intended end; and he must be a superficial observer indeed of the manner in which the empire of grace is exercised, who cannot discover subordinate causes, managed with equal skill, and equally powerful in their influence! W. W.

THE FOLLY OF

WITHHOLDING MORE THAN IS MEET.

SOLOMON declares, and experience proves, that withholding more than is suitable tendeth to poverty;' that by refusing to expend, men often destroy.

The husbandman who does not cast good seed into the furrows, who does not faithfully manure and cultivate his soil, though he may save considerable expence and labour, robs himself of his expected harvest.

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The minister of religion who,' greedy of filthy lucre,' needlessly engages in commerce, or banishes himself from his study to his field, and he who, being a lover of pleasure,' spends his time in idle visits or vain amusements, unfits himself for the ready and dignified discharge of his official duties. This wounds his reputation; this weakens the affection and respect of his people: they become less punctual in their kind attentions and little gratuities, which, in a year, would perhaps outweigh the profits of his labour and business, or have been a rich compensation for the time he spent in visits and amusements.

The people withhold more than is meet. It tendeth to spiritual poverty when, to save a few pounds, they refuse to compensate their minister in an honourable way, especially when they show a grudging, unkind parsimony, withholding those kind offices and endearing benefactions which other people, in general, bestow on their spiritual guides, and which he had expected from them. So treated, the minister soon becomes discouraged he imagines he does not enjoy the affections of his people, and that he can do them no good ;-his heart is wounded; the nerve of exertion is unstrung; there is little fervour, life, or affection in his labours. The fire of his zeal is gone out; consequently, feeble impressions, are made on the minds of his hearers; they are neither persuaded, nor instructed, nor moved; they continue in their errors, their guilt, and their danger. The first cause was on their part; a little carelessnes or unkindness, or withholding more than was meet: it produces spiritual poverty.

When in a sick room I hear the physician, instead of conversing with his patient or the nurse, telling to some indifferent person the news of the day, I say he withholds more than is meet from his patient. He will not employ this physician in his next illness. He thinks he does not understand his disorder, or is not concerned for his recovery.

When a parent detains his children from school, to save a few shillings expence for their instruction, and to gain a trifling sum by their labour, he withholds more than is meet. Their understandings are not informed, their hearts are not cultivated, they are ill prepared to make their way through a bad world. The unkind parsimony of the father tends to the children's poverty.

When the wife, whose great business it is to sooth, to cheer, and encourage her husband, refuses those delightful smiles and kind attentions which animate and rouse his drooping spirits, she withholdeth more than is meet: it tendeth to poverty and every woe. He is burdened and perplexed with his business,-he is disappointed of expected felicity at home; -- anger kindles, and domestic enjoyment is murdered. A cheerful, pleasant, and attentive wife will rule the heart of a lion. Man has no power against her who, adorned with smiles, proffers her kind offices; but, the moment she becomes unsocial, inattentive, and unkind, she loses all her power. She now produces as much disgust as enchantment before. Alas! how many people withhold more than is meet! - it tendeth to poverty.

ADMONITORY PROVIDENCE.

P.

A CANDIDATE for the gospel-ministry was lately invited to settle over a congregat onal society in New England." In giving the invition, there was a general union in the church and so

ciety. A few, however, on the ground of religious sentiment, were opposed to the settlement. Among the opposers, one man was exceedingly bitter. This man was open and explicit in expressing the hatred of his heart toward those doctrines, commonly called The Doctrines of Grace, that were preached by the candidate. The invitation was accepted, and the day appointed for the ordination. A few weeks previous to the day, in conversation with some neighbours on the subject of the candidate's settlement among them, the man expressed himself in the following manner:- I wish I may die before he is settled here.' The appointed day approached, and the man remained unrelenting in his opposition. On the morning of the Sabbath preceding the day of ordination, being in usual health, and busied in some domestic concern, he was seized in a very surprizing manner. In an unexpected moment, he was struck into a state of insensibility, speechless and helpless. In this melancholy state he continued till Wednesday morning, the day of ordination, when, about two hours before the commencement of the public solemnities, according to his own desire, he expired! His case was so extraordinary as to baffle the attempts of skilful physicians, either to restore him, or to satisfy themselves as to the natural cause of his situation. To all who witnessed the solemn scene, it evidently appeared that, like Uzzah, for his presumption in touching the ark, this man was smitten by the hand of the Lord.

This alarming providence speaks with a warning voice to two classes of sinners. Those who wantonly trifle with such solemn things as death and eternity, are admonished to think of that miserable man, and seriously consider the impiety and danger of such presumption. What a profane use is often made of death, as well as of the name of God, those who are conversant in the world too well know! Let those who trifle with sacred things, and imprecate death and damnation on themselves, reflect on the awful consequences which they would realize, should God take them at their word! In the above instance, it seems that God, in anger, granted the presumptuous wish.

This affecting event may be improved as a warning to the vir ulent opposers of divine truth, and of the faithful preachers of the gospel. Those who oppose the pious ambassadors of the Lord, as such, touch the apple of his eye, and are sometimes brought to a miserable end, to deter others from fighting against God. Christ says, 'He that despiseth his children, especially his ministers, despiseth him ;' and a man had better be cast into the depth of the sea, with a mill-stone about his neck, than offend one of his little ones *.

This, and the preceding piece, are taken from an American publication.

THE DEATH OF A DEIST.

THE following communication is from a gentleman, ou whose authority the reader may place the most unreserved reliance: It was my lot, some years ago, occasionally to meet a disciple of the late Dr. Darwin, who had drank so deeply into the system and spirit of his master, that he considered him the very first poet and philosopher of the age. I have heard him expatiate with enthusiasm on the writings and character of that Deist; and, in the same conversations revile the holy Scriptures with all the rant of vulgar blasphemy.

Of all the examples of a mind emancipated from religious and moral restraint I ever met with, this unhappy man was the most offensive. His conversation, though abundantly larded with the cant and slang of the new philosophy, was lewd, profane, and conceited; and, when infuriated by zeal for his principles (which happened as often as they were opposed) every rule of decorum was trampled under foot; he appeared, on such occasions, nei, ther to fear God, nor regard man.'

A few months after my last interview with him, I was informed that he was no more! Struck with the event, I was solicitous to know how such a man would die. The amount of my infor mation was, that, as death approached, the confidence he had before expressed in his Deistical opinions forsook him, and in its place a deep horror seized his mind. A short time before his de parture, supposing himself quite alone, he was overheard by an unobserved friend, giving vent to the agonies of a tortured conscience. With furious despair, he expostulated with the man (Dr. D.) whom he now reproached as his deceiver; and, after loading his name with execrations which I dare not put upon paper, he closed the horrid remonstrance in such terms as the following:- Monster! wretch! is this the end of your boasted philosophy! Have you brought me to this!'

Reader, though such examples are seldom brought forward, you are not hastily to infer that they rarely happen, or that the principles of modern infidelity do not lead to such melancholy issues. The tenderness of survivors may often conceal the dismal story; and, even when such men leave the world with composure, we should remember there are such judgments denounced against obstinate opposers of revelation, as a seared conscience,' and a 'reprobate mind!' How different the end of those who sleep in Jesus!'

AN HISTORICAL CIRCUMSTANCE IMPROVED.

AIUS LOCUTUS was the name of a god among the Romans, who was deified on this occasion: M. Ceditius, a plebeian, informed the Tribunes that, passing through the new street, in the