prelate, his delay was complained of, and its cause explained. His immediately rang his bell, and commanded the attendance of the messenger. On his entering the room, he rebuked him sharply, and dismissed him from his service. Having done this, he addressed the bishop thus: "Now, my lord, if you please, we will proceed." His lordship, with great mildness, but at the same time with firmness, refused to administer the sacrament whilst any irritation or anger towards a fellowcreature remained on the mind of the illustrious person. His suddenly recollecting himself, said, "My lord, you are right;" and then sent for the offending party, whose forgiveness and restoration to favour he pronounced in terms of great kindness and condescension.

Chap. v. ver. 48.-Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

A follower of Mr Wesley once asked the Rev. Mr Dunn of Portsea, whether he thought a state of sinless perfection attainable in this life? Mr D. replied, "Let us, my friend, endeavour after it as eagerly as if it were attainable."

Chap. vi. ver. 1.-Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them ; otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.

Mrs Judson giving some account, in a letter, of the first Burman convert, says, " A few days ago I was reading with him Christ's sermon on the Mount. He was deeply impressed, and unusually solemn. These words,' said he, take hold on my very heart; they make me tremble. Here God commands us to do every thing that is good in secret, not to be seen of men. How unlike our religion is this! When Burmans make offerings at the pagodas, they make a great noise with drums and musical instruments, that others may see how good they are. But this religion makes the mind fear God; it makes it of its own accord fear sin." "

Chap. vi. ver. 34.-Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. unto the day is the evil thereof.

Sufficient

Mr Laurence, who was a sufferer for conscience sake, if he would have consulted with flesh and blood, as was said of one of the martyrs, had eleven good arguments against suffering; viz. a wife and ten children. Being once asked how he meant to maintain them all? he cheerfully replied, "They must all live on Matth. vi. 34. Take therefore no thought for the morrow,' &c. Contentment and resignation in such trying circumstances, are not only blessings to the possessors, but they fill observers with astonishment. Hence said Dr W. to a poor minister, "I wonder, Mr W. how you contrive to live so comfortably; methinks, with your numerous family, you live more plentifully on the providence of God, than I can with the benefits of the parish.'

Chap. vii. ver. 13, 14.-Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

The Duke of Hamilton, from a child, was remarkably serious, and took delight in reading his Bible. His mother, the Duchess, told a relation, that, when he was playing about the room at nine years of age, she said to hini, "Come, write me a few verses, and I will give you a crown." He sat down, took pen and paper, and in a

few minutes produced the following lines:

As o'er the sea-beat shore I took my way,

I met an aged man who bade me stay;

Be wise," said he, and mark the path you go,
This leads to heaven, and that to hell below;

The way to life is difficult and steep,

The broad and easy leads you to the deep.'

1

Chap. vii. ver. 20.-Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

A gentleman lately deceased, who was eminent in the literary world, had his mind in early life deeply imbued with infidel sentiments. He and one of his companions of the same way of thinking, often carried on their conversation in the hearing of a religious, but illiterate countryman. This gentleman having afterwards become a serious Christian, was concerned for the countryman, lest his faith in the Christian religion should have been shaken by their remarks. One day he took the liberty to ask him, whether what had so frequently been advanced in his hearing had not produced this effect upon him?" By no means, "answered the countryman; it never made the least impression upon me." No impression upon you!" said the gentleman;" why, you must know that we had read and thought on these things much more than you had any opportunity of doing." "O yes," said the other," but your conversation plainly shewed me, that you had never read nor thought much on your Bible; and besides, I knew also your manner of living; I knew, that to maintain such a course of conduct, you found it necessary to renounce Christianity."

Chap. viii. ver. 11.—And I say unto you, that many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.

Mr Henry Bullinger, a little before his death, said, If the Lord will make any further use of me, and my ministry, I will willingly obey him; but if he pleases (as I much desire) to take me out of this miserable life, I shall exceedingly rejoice to be taken from this corrupt age, to go to my Saviour Christ. Socrates," said he," was glad when his death approached, because he thought he should go to Hesiod, Homer, and other learned men deceased, whom he expected to meet in the other world: how much more do I rejoice, who am sure that I shall see my Saviour Christ, the saints, patriarchs, prophets, apostles, and all holy men which have lived from the be ginning of the world. Since I am sure to partake of their

felicity, why should not I be willing to die, to enjoy their perpetual society in glory ?"

Chap. viii. ver. 24, 25, 26.-And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep. And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us; we perish. And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.

Some time ago, in a dreadful gale of wind, in which a vessel called the Betsey was lost, and all hands perished except the master and carpenter, there was one of the ships whose master was often at the prayer meetings, and his vessel was always open for these social exercises. The gale was so severe, and the ship so much injured by it, that she became almost a wreck, and quite ungovernable; the master gave up all for lost, as every human effort seemed in vain, and nothing but a watery grave awaited them. There were two little boys in this vessel; one cried very much, and said he should be drowned; the other said, "Don't cry, Jack; I am not afraid—it is now eight o'clock, and they are praying for us on board some ship in the Thames; you know they always pray for us when we are at sea.' The Captain heard the remark; it seemed to invigorate him; he and all hands used every exertion; and it pleased God to abate the severity of the gale, and in thirty-eight hours afterwards they were safely moored in the river, when they hoisted the signal flag for prayer, and had a meeting for praise and thanksgiving for their great deliverance. A friend who was on board at the time, and spoke to the lads, said to the one who made the above remark, "Was it you, Dick, that cried during the gale, and was afraid of being drowned?" "No, it was Jack; I was not afraid. Don't you always pray for our ship in London ?” "Yes, and did'nt you pray?" "Yes, I did." "And what did you say, my lad ?” "I said, O Lord! save my mas

ter! O Lord! save the ship! Let Daniel's God save the ship!" "I trust you always pray." "Yes, ever since the prayer-meeting was held on board our ship; I never get into my hammock without having first prayed; but Jack won't, although I tell him he ought."

Chap. ix. ver. 2.-And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed and Jesus, seeing their faith, said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.

Professor Wodrow relates the following anecdote of Mr Donald Cargill." Mr Cargill was under very deep convictions of sin before his entry into the ministry, and while a student; and that, with grievous temptations and fiery darts mixed in with it, and his too great reservedness, and not communicating his case to such as might have given him counsel and support under it, drove him to terrible excesses; in short, he came to the very height of despair; and, through indulging melancholy, and hearkening to temptations, he at length came to the resolution of putting an end to his miserable life. He was then living with his father, or some relation, in the parish of Bothwell, and, in the horrible hurry of these fiery darts, he went out once or twice to the river of Clyde, with a dreadful resolution to drown himself. He was still diverted by somebody or other coming by him, which prevented his design at that time. But the temptation continuing, and his horror by yielding to it increasing, he fell upon a method, in the execution of which he thought he should not be prevented. On a summer morning very early, he went from the house where he dwelt to a more unfrequented place, where there were some old coal pits, and coming up to one of them, was fully determined to throw himself in; but, when very near it, a thought struck him, that the coat and vest he had upon him, being new, might be of some use to others, though he was unworthy to live, and deserved to be in hell; and so he stepped back and threw them off, and then came up to the very brink of the pit; and when just going to leap in, these words entered his mind, Son, be of good