"All this was spoken with the tenderness of a fond and affectionate father. Julia could not say a word. Her head drooped upon her shoulder, and the tears gushed down her cheeks. At length she flung her arms around the neck of her venerable father, and half-choked with emotion, faintly articulated, Do forgive me.' "God is the Being, my child,' said the old man, evidently touched with the sensibility evinced by his daughter, 'against whom the offence was committed. If you are truly penitent, and apply to his pardoning mercy, with sincere purposes of amendment, he will doubtless blot out this sin from the book of his remembrance. But be sure, never to repeat it again.' "From the prayers that were used in the family, and certain expressions that were incidentally dropped, I was fully persuaded, that the people with whom I was staying were conversant with the Episcopal form of worship, and were probably members of the Episcopal church. The evening before I left, the conversation turned upon the peculiarities of the different denominations of Christians, and I then became assured that I had judged correctly in relation to the religious sentiments of this family. As the conversation proceeded, I was unconsciously drawn into a narration of the circumstances which I have related to you this evening. When I came to the circumstance of The Manuscript, I perceived that Mr. Sinclair appeared somewhat agitated, and before I finished the narrative Mrs. Sinclair seemed affected in a manner, and to a degree, for which I could not account. "The next morning, having taken an affectionate leave of the family, Mr. Sinclair begged me to permit him to walk on a little way with me, until the wagon, which was then harnessing, should overtake us. To this proposition I very cheerfully acceded. As soon as we reached the road, "I cannot let you depart,' said my venerable host, ⚫ without apprizing you that he who now addresses you, Singular disclosure. The reflections of a recluse. The result. and who in this section of the country is called Sinclair, is "the Reformed Profligate,” “the Hermit of Lucerne,” who penned The Manuscript, the contents of which you so feelingly related last evening. "After writing that manuscript, I daily became more and more convinced, that as a Christian I could not discharge my duty without again entering the living world. I could not but remember that I had a family—and that no act of mine could release me from the obligations resting upon me as a father and a husband. The law of Christianity bound me to look after them and provide for them. 66 6 Again, I remembered that Christ had instituted certain ordinances and sacraments for the spiritual nourishment and edification of his followers. These sacraments and ordinances were committed to and connected with his church. While remaining in a state of voluntary exile from the living world, I felt that I was voluntarily depriving myself of a powerful means of grace-refusing to honour Christ in the observance of his holy institutions-and actually declining to bear testimony to the power of that grace which had plucked my feet from the paths of death, and given me an inheritance among them which are sanctified. "Influenced by these considerations, I left my seclusion, and sought out my family. Divine Providence opened a way for the purchase of this farm. And here we now live in sweet retirement. Our former history being unknown to our neighbours, we often have it in our power to minister to their spiritual necessities. We are perfectly contented with the allotment of Providence-and have no desire to know or be known in the gay and fashionable world. 666 For myself, I can truly say, that I feel that God has shown the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness towards me through Christ Jesus. And I hope that the evening of my days will be spent in his service, and to his glory and I hope, sir, that I shall be remembered in your prayers, that I may redeem the time, and be found ready : A funeral scene. with my lamp trimmed and burning, and all my hopes in Christ, when the summons arrives which will speedily call me into the presence of the Judge.' "The wagon had now come up. And we again took leave of each other. As I turned to catch a last look of the stooping form of this aged and redeemed servant of the Lord, my mind was naturally led to dwell upon the manner in which Divine Providence had dealt with him, and the influence which his history had had in bringing me to a knowledge of the truth and I could not but exclaim, ‘O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out.' As "As I approached the village of P, I perceived a funeral procession just entering the burial ground, which was a little out of the village, in a sweet retired spot. the road passed along on one side of this resting place of the dead, I reined up my horse to the fence, and remained to see the last office of respect paid to one who had for ever closed his eyes upon earthly scenes. I soon discovered that the deceased was an adult person, and that his death was keenly felt by many that mingled in the crowd. "The funeral service was read with evident feeling and deep emotion. And I thought its words never fell with deeper solemnity upon my ear. The grave at last was covered. The multitude began to retire and disperse. Near where I sat, a horse was tied to the fence. "A stout looking person now approached this horse, and began to unfasten him. I perceived that he was deeply · affected for several times while undoing the halter, he raised his arm to his face to brush away the tears that were coursing down his cheeks. "Can you tell me,' said I, addressing myself to this man, whose remains have just been interred?' 666 “O, it is our minister!' said he, with much emotion, 'it is our minister!-Good old man, he has gone to his reward.' The conclusion. “Ah,' said I, 'I have no doubt he has, as he was faithful, I trust, while he was with you.' “Yes, yes, that he was,' said the man, who appeared to find relief in descanting upon the excellencies of his departed shepherd. All have reason to remember Mr. with affection, but none more than I. It is only a little more than two years since I first saw him. But by the mercy of God, since that time my eyes have been opened and I have seen what a cast-away I was, and what a merciful Saviour there is to go to; and all this is chiefly owing to Mr.'s plain preaching.' "I this moment recognised in the speaker my old acquaintance Wager, who had indeed become an altered and new man and had now learned-as he told me with his own lips, to esteem the Prayer Book as much as he once despised it." The incidents already related furnish abundant proof that there is much to interest the observant traveller in the daily occurrences with which he meets. And even when he finds every thing around him repulsive-when he finds every thing in the road and weather discouraging, and every thing in the inn abhorrent to his feelings, he can still find profitable material for thought, as one did who said, "The world is like an inn; for there Men call, and storm, and drink, and swear; While undisturb'd a Christian waits, And reads, and writes, and meditates. Though in the dark ofttimes I stray, The Lord shall light me on my way, Conduct me, when my journey's done." Having illustrated the position with which I set out, I will no longer detain the reader, but simply ask him to cherish in his memory whatever he deems valuable in the conversation that occurred on the occasion of THE MEETING OF THE TRAVELLERS. It is a striking peculiarity in the lessons of wisdom taught by the Son of God-a peculiarity essentially interwoven with every precept he delivered, that He that humbleth himself shall be exalted. The lower we keep in the vale of humility, the higher we shall rise in the regard of the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity. He promises to take up his abode only with the humble and contrite ones. This direct thrust which the gospel makes at the pride of the human heart, bespeaks its high, and holy, and heavenly character. It is no small commendation to the religion of the cross, that it requires every human being, whether young or old, high or low, rich or poor, learned or unlearned, to humble himself before God, and commence the foundation of Christian character upon lowly and self-abased views respecting any personal or native moral excellence which he possesses. The true Christian character is invariably built on a deep and heartfelt ac |