THE GLEANER. BEFORE the bright sun rises over the hill, With the few scatter'd ears she can glean. She never leaves off, or runs out of her place, Except now and then, just to wipe her hot face, “Poor girl, hard at work in the heat of the sun, Why don't you leave off as the others have done, "O no! for my mother lies ill in her bed, And my poor little brothers are crying for bread, "Then could I be merry, and idle, and play, O no, I would rather work hard all the day, ; SUNDAY MORNING. THE sound of the Church bells is heard, How cheering to see the quiet bustle they inspire! I will contemplate the various groups who are proceeding to unite in public praise and thanksgiving to their heavenly Father. The first who meets my eye is the grey-headed Thomas. Sixty years have witnessed him constant in his attendance; it is his greatest privilege, his highest blessing. He alone is left of a large family: his children were taken home in the vigour of youth, and were soon fol lowed by his much-loved, his faithful wife. How dreary, how lone, would be his lot, were it not that Religion supports, cheers, and comforts him, Sunday Morning. 271 Go on happy, old man! a few, probably a very few, years of trial remain for thee: mayest thou continue steadfast in the faith! And who is that cheerful party following? It is Mary Simon's happy family; happy, because brought up in the fear and love of God; happy, for they are taught a perfect dependance on his divine will see how the Christian mother may be distinguished! her whole appearance agrees with her conduct; the neatness and simplicity of her dress shews a well regulated mind; she is a pattern to the whole village It is delightful to see with what tender love her children regard her! Does Mary indulge them more than others? No, but she sets them an example of what she teaches, and corrects their faults with judg ment. She will not allow of finery in dress, though nothing can be more perfectly neat than they are. And what pleases me much is their orderly manner of walking to Church, as if they considered what a sacred duty they were going about. I turn now, with pain, to the noisy group of females approaching. Are these people going to the House of God? They are: they have attended divine service regularly for some years; they know their duty, they have been taught to read their Bible. Whence comes it then that they are so careless in their manner, and so fine in their appearance, and that they disturb the rest of the assembly when they are in the Church, by their illtimed mirth and carelessness? Do these girls call themselves Christians? Yes; but the name is all they bear. They are wholly without a religious thought; they spend their time in gadding from fair to feast, to any thing that encourages idleness; -they come to Church only to shew the finery of their dress. Now I behold a more gratifying sight; poor old blind Margery, led by her young grand-child. How the countenance of this pious woman beams with peace and inward comfort! How carefully the child chooses the best path for her! Margery remembers our beautiful prayers by heart, and it is truly edifying to witness the fervent devotion with which she joins in them: she is grateful for the blessing of hearing, and fixes her sightless eye-balls on the clergyman as if she still possessed the power of sight. I never heard a murmur pass her lips. Many more are approaching:-but I must now join the crowd, and offer up my imperfect prayers that the Spirit of the Lord may be in the midst of his unworthy creatures. Village of Great Totham, Essex, W. D. PRIMITIVE CHRISTIANITY. To the Editor of the Cottager's Monthly Visitor. SIR, IF you think the following account of the piety of the early Christians (from Cave's Primitive Christia nity) proper for insertion in your welcome Visitor, its appearance there will much gratify your constant reader and distributor, N. N. Some account of the Piety of the early Christians, and of their Reverence for the Holy Scriptures. "The duties of their private worship of God were of two sorts, either such as were more solemn and stated, and concerned the whole family, or such as persons performed alone. For the first, which are properly family duties, they were usually in this order: at their first rising in the morning, they were used to meet together, and to betake them Primitive Christianity. 273 selves to prayer, to praise God for the protection and refreshment of the night, and to beg his grace and blessing for the day. This was done by the master of the house. It is most likely that at this time they repeated the Creed, or some confession of faith, by which they professed themselves Christians, and, as it were, armed themselves against the assaults of dangers and temptations. However, there is no question but at this time they read some parts of the Holy Scripture; which they were most ready to do at all times, and therefore certainly would not omit it now. "About noon, before their going to dinner, some portions of Scripture were read; and, the food being set upon the table, a blessing was solemnly begged of God, as the fountain of all blessings. And so religious in this matter was one of the Emperors, that he would never eat so much as a fig or any fruit, before he had first given thanks to the great Creator. "Much after the same manner, they spent the rest of the day, till the night came on; when, before their going to rest, the family was again called to prayer; after which they went to bed. But, besides these stated and customary family devotions, the Christians of those days were careful to spend all the time they could spare from their worldly business, in actions of piety and religion. They were most frequent in prayer. It is reported of St. James the Just, that he used to go every day alone into the Church, and there kneeled upon the stones to offer up his prayers to God. The Emperor Constantine, though burdened with the cares of a great empire, did yet every day, at his accustomed hours, withdraw from all the company of the court, retire into his closet, and, upon his knees, offer up his prayers to God. Their next care was diligently and seriously to read the Holy Scriptures, for they had indeed a vast esteem, and reverence for the Word of God 3 as the book which they greatly prized above all others. One of them, St. Augustin, tells us, that, after he became a Christian, the Scriptures were his most pure and chaste delight, in respect of which, all other books, even those which once he most doted on, were become dry and unpleasing to him. In the study of this book it was, that Christians then chiefly exercised themselves. "Of another of the first Christians it is said, that, rising early in a morning, he, with his sisters, sung Psalms of praise to God: he could repeat the Holy Scriptures in any part. We read of Origen, though then but a child, that, when his father commanded him to commit some pieces of Scripture to memory, he most willingly set himself to it; and, not content with the bare reading, he began to inquire into the meaning of it, often asking his father (to his no less joy than admiration) what the sense of this or that place of Scripture was and this thirst after divine knowledge still continued and increased in him all his life. 66 Valens, deacon of the Church of Jerusalem, a venerable old man, had so entirely given up himself to the study of the Scriptures, that it was all one to him to read or to repeat whole pages together. The like we find of John, an Egyptian Confessor, that, though both his eyes were put out, and his body mangled with unheard-of cruelties, yet he was able at any time to repeat any places or passages, either out of the Old or New Testament; which, (says Eusebius) when I first heard him do in the public congregation, I supposed him to have been reading in a book; till, coming near, and finding how it was, I was struck with great admiration at it. Certainly Christians then had no mean esteem of, and took no small delight in, these Saered Volumes."" This Holy Bible, which they so much delighted |