that " THE MAN OF SIN" will never promote the holiness of the people, in any latitude of the earth, where HE may be found in the possession of power. It was Popery on the throne of these realms, in the person of the Second Charles (restrained but a little by the oaths of "the Restoration,") which enforced upon a moral and reluctant nation the truly infamous "Book of Sports!"

Let equal censure, however, be fearlessly levelled against any Protestant gentry who, for the maintenance of "the Races,' ,""the same day were made friends" with the Popish party, with which "before they were at enmity."

The fatal time arrived; and aloof as the moral, and godly, were resolved to keep, from the course itself, the town, after all, was, for a season, the headquarters of Belial! Passing hastily along the pavement opposite to one of the principal inns, we, ourselves, were fated to see preparations making to Nay, we saw the miser

"fight a main of cocks!" able birds themselves borne to the pit in white bags, which, in a few minutes, were to be dyed with the blood of some of them. Involuntarily, we held our nose, as the men, (say fiends!) who bore them, passed us, with their brutalised features, their ashy complexions, and their spirituous, and fiery, “breaths !"

Not half so reminiscent, however, of our own horror at this" triumphing of the wicked," as con

vinced that many of the youth of twelve years ago, now the men and women of that abused district, might date their first plunge into the vortex of sin and folly from those, and succeeding " races;"-and ready to shriek, in lamentable echoes of the agonised utterances of the hundreds of souls, who may have since been lost for ever! in consequence of the revival of that abomination* in B-y; we hesitate not to apply to this fearful crisis in the destinies of that

It may add to the ordinary disgust which every pious and humane person must entertain towards these still prevalent blots upon our Christian country's name, to rehearse what we heard, more than twenty times, in the love-feasts at B-y, from the deeply ashamed, and tremulous mouth of the reformed and converted sinner himself; viz.: that once, when he was immersed in the cruel and vindictive sport of cockfighting, for which his native town was at that time notorious, his own bird was evidently losing the game; when, unable to restrain his brutal rage, he laid hold of it, and in one minute, actually bit off the poor creature's head with his teeth! Marked indeed! by all, had been " the gracious change" which this once violent wretch had undergone ; and of which he had given satisfactory evidence by a new and holy life, for nearly thirty years, when we knew him. Too old to follow his occupation (which was that of a collier) he was obliged to eke out a livelihood by small, but honest services, in the way of carrying coals, &c. When once confined to his poor little cottage by affiction, a benevolent lady made the writer the willing almoner of her bounty to the poor old man. amount of the gift was a shilling; and as soon as he received it, without blanching as some might have done at the thought of his independence, (of which he had a creditable share) having fallen under him, and much less reserving his acknowledgements for the close of our visit, and then dispatching them, he forthwith turned over from his low chair with both knees upon the floor, (an evolution the more easily made on account of the exceeding smallness of his stature) and poured forth his sincere and abundant thanksgiving to his Heavenly Father, together with his grateful and devout prayers for the kind lady, who had "sent to (his) necessity." His name was Nicholas. Poor old Nicky! I wonder if he yet survive.

The

part of the manufacturing district, the well-merited epithets of "the Man of Uz," too gloomily applied to the period of his own nativity:-"Let that day be darkness; let not God regard it from above, neither let the light shine upon it. Let darkness and the shadow of death stain it; let a cloud dwell upon it; let the blackness of the day terrify it. As for that night, let darkness seize upon it; let it not be joined unto the days of the year, let it not come into the number of the months. Lo! let that night be solitary, let no joyful voice come therein!" (Job iii, 4-7.)

Returning to W-n, (no longer Worst-town) it must be a triumph to every lover of his Saviour, and his species, to contemplate the new church aforesaid, with its goodly attendance of worshippers, and looking as though it had been erected over part of “the ruins" of Satan's once vaunted kingdom.

"These temples of his grace,

How beautiful they stand!
The honours of our native place,
And bulwarks of our land.

C. Wesley.

Wesleyan Methodism was, however, very considerably older as a local institution, or establishment in the village; and to it as a system, ordained and approved by the Great Head of the Church, must be awarded the meed of having fought "the battles of the Lord" here, when all other denominations (the Church of England included) were slumbering.

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Their "record is on high, and (their) work is with (their) God," who were in the habit of holding prayer meetings at this then abandoned place, walking several miles for the purpose; and their's, too, of the circuit-town, who long made themselves responsible for the rent of a room, for preaching and a Sabbath school. A "society" of fifteen or twenty persons had been gathered out of "the world ;" and several of them, we bear record to their power, and beyond their power, were willing of themselves,” to contribute towards the erection of a chapel. It was our lot, in company with the late Mr. Hand two Sabbath-school teachers, to wait upon the wealthy, but somewhat eccentric, owner of the township, for the purpose of obtaining a site. After the steward, (to whose politeness we were much indebted) had pointed out to the squire the exact place, on a map of the estate which lay before him, the latter very liberally acceded to our request, and fixed the nominal rent of five shillings per annum !! to be paid for the ground, on a lease of 999 years. The "joy" of the venerable man who was the principal party in making the application, (the same already described as a convert of Mr. Wesley's on the morning of his marriage,) was just then "full,” and his "cup running over." Notwithstanding the disparity of circumstances between himself and the Lord of the manor, (who might be about his own

age,) and maugre the opposite creed which he pro fessed, Mr. H. exclaimed, with tears of gratitude,

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Bless the Lord! there have been many souls that have gone safe to Heaven, even from the old place !” The squire was half fixed by the assertion, and probably believed it; but, in his own peculiar and brief manner, merely replied,—" Very well! very well! very well!" and making a most courteous bow to us all, left the hall. As for Mr. H., it might be said, "He went on his way rejoicing!"

It might be ten o'clock in the evening, when, after preaching and holding a prayer meeting at the place, about whose ancient, and even recent, ungodliness, as contrasted with its present superior status in morals, piety, and happiness, we have ventured to linger (we hope not unacceptably) through so many lines of our little publication, the writer and his companion, J. B, reached By. Bidding our young brother a sincere good night, and taking due care to drop a word at parting respecting the need of continual prayer and watchfulness, it may be supposed that preaching at noon in the street, and in the evening at the village, (walking and "talking by the way" included,) we should have been more than ready to retire for the night; but a sacred engagement had been made to call at the house next to that in which lay the dying female,