mandeth thee; pray for them; be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good: Rom. xii. 21. ; Mat. v. 44. ;-xviii. 21. 25.

21. Endeavour thyself to do every day what good thou canst to others, upon every good occasion, and rejoice when thou canst find time and any opportunity of doing good. The more good thou doest, the more comfort thou shalt have when thou comest at night to make thy accounts with God: Gal. vi. 10.; 1 Tim. vi. 18.; John xiv. 21.

22. In doing good to others, be careful not only for the bodies of poor people (which thou shouldest be, to feed and relieve them, if God has blessed thee with riches) but also for their souls; do what good thou canst to them, by teaching and instructing them: he that has truly tasted of salvation, will study, in what he can, how he may save others, and how he may pluck them as brands out of the fire: Jude, 22, 23.

23. Take heed of partaking of others' sins; that is, to see sin committed by others, and to say nothing of it, when thou mayest either thyself reprove it, or inform against it, that it may be punished. He that hath felt the weight and burthen of his own sins, will be loth to increase the burthen of the sins of others: Levit. xix. 17.; 1 Tim. v. 22.

24. Every night call thyself to a reckoning how thou hast spent the day, see what good thou hast done, and what good thou hast left undone, what temptations thou hast resisted, and what sins thou hast committed; thou mayest find comfort of the good, and thou must repent thee of the evil; and, grieving for the sins of the day, call for the blood of Christ to wash and purge thee from them: thus gaining peace with God, thou mayest lay thee down, and thy sleep shall be sweet unto thee: Psal. iv. 48.; Prov. iii. 24, and 2 Cor. i. 12.

These are as plain directions as I can give for thee, who hast been ignorant, and now would be

plainly directed. Let me advise thee, if thou canst, to read; if thou canst not, to hear them read often over unto thee; even so often as that thou mayest get them by heart, or, at least, become very familiar with them; and the practice of them will be as sweet as honey to the soul; yea, thou shalt find a secret sweetness in the practice of any one of them. Even in mourning within thyself for thy secret corruptions, which the world doth not know of, thou shalt meet with such joy, as thou wouldest not lose for all the treasures of this world. What joy then wilt thou find in observing them all! the practice of them will make thee walk with God, and he will come and dwell with thee; he will largely express his love to thee; he will mark thee out for his own, and set the broad seal of heaven upon thee: then shalt thou find such cheerings of the Spirit, and such gleams of joy shed into thy soul, as will transport and delight thee with unexpected happiness. A carnal and natural man can never conceive it; none can know it, but those that have tasted of it: eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath entered into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared (even in this life) for them that love him; but God hath revealed them to us by his Spirit (saith the Apostle, 1 Cor. ii. 9, 10.) And if thou dost so love God that thou wilt faithfully observe these Rules, he will assuredly reveal these things unto thee. Consider them aright, and the Lord give thee heart to love, and practise them.

CONTENTMENT.

I HAVE often wondered that a contented and thankful disposition, which, besides being well-pleasing

in the sight of our heavenly Father, contributes so much to our happiness, is thought of so little consequence even by many who are called Christians. Discontent makes us not only miserable ourselves, bat disagreeable to all around us; and yet, if our wishes are not gratified, we are inclined to murmur, without ever considering, Who it is, that ordereth all things both in heaven and in earth. How often does it happen, that those evils, of which we complain, are brought on, by our own folly and impra. dence! Surely then, it would better become us to submit to them with patience, than to murmur at them. Whatever misfortunes assail us, discontent does not lessen, but rather increases them; and even this is a sufficient reason why we should "learn, in whatsoever state we are, therewith to be content." But we have much higher reasons for being contented. Whenever we feel discontent arising in our minds, we ought to consider, how much happier we are, than we deserve to be, and how many blessings a good and gracious Providence is ever bestowing on us, his sinful creatures, who are not worthy of the least of all his mercies. When, moreover, we consider how great is the mercy of Him who came down from heaven to save us, who suffered death upon the cross for our sakes, and who has promised to all those who trust in Him, and who faithfully, and humbly endeavour to serve Him, eternal happiness in the world to come, surely were we to consider these things, far from being discontented, we should raise our hearts in humble gratitude, to that Providence, who ordereth all things for our good, and whose mercy is over all his works. The poor are apt to think, that if they were but rich, they would be contented too, but I can assure my poorer brethren, that though they suffer many privations, which the rich do not feel, yet they enjoy many advantages which the rich have not. In their humble sphere they are not ex

posed to so many temptations as the rich are; and, never having possessed riches, they will not have to answer for the abuse of them. The industrious are generally happy, and the poor who have to work hard for the support of themselves and their families, taste, in many things, a pleasure which the rich cannot feel. The poor as well as the rich have indeed much to be thankful for. He who endeavours, most earnestly to serve God, will ever be the most contented, and consequently the most happy. When all is calm within, the sun seems to shine on every thing around us; but he who is dissatisfied with himself, will be discontented with every thing else. A man cannot have a greater torment than a discontented spirit. Endeavour to check the first risings of discontent, and, instead of thinking how many miseries you suffer, think how many mercies you enjoy, and how little you have deserved them, and surely, you will learn in whatsoever state you are," therewith to be content."

S. H. M.

A GOOD WIFE.

We have frequently expressed ourselves strongly against that vile habit of drinking, which so dis graces, and brutalizes those who indulge in it,and which brings such misery and ruin on those families where the father throws away his time and his money, and his understanding amongst the loose company of an alehouse. We can almost tell by the very appearance of a man's cottage, and its inmates, whether he be a drunkard or not; for, when the money is spent abroad, there can be nothing like comfort at home. How can the wife keep the house in order, or have the children pro

perly clothed, when the husband, by his extravagance, deprives her of the power? This must, moreover, lead to complaints, and ill-humour and discontent; for the best tempered wife in the world can hardly help shewing that these things disturb and distress her; and, a woman who is not gifted with this calmness of mind will be led to express her feelings in a tone of violence and anger. Hence the house of a drunkard is generally a house of quarrels and disputes.

It has, however, often been said, that, when things go on ill between husband and wife, "there are faults on both sides." This is indeed often quite true. To make the married state happy, a great deal depends on the wife as well as on the busband. When a man has been toiling all day for the support of his family, he has a right to expect to be received at home with cheerful and welcome looks. The house ought to be neat, and the humble meal ought to be prepared in such a manner as to shew that the husband's comfort has been consulted. When we speak of neatness in a wife, we do not mean to praise that spirit of over-neatness which seems to fret and teaze itself, and every body else, with its scrupulous exactness. A wife will often look cross on her husband, because his shoes happen to have left a little dirt on the floor which she has been sweeping for his reception; and thus she undoes all the good she has been doing; and worries and vexes her husband, instead of pleasing him. A great deal of watchfulness and attention, in such little matters, is needful. There should be on both sides an endeavour not to give offence, and there should be on both sides a backwardness in taking offence.

As we have expressed the compassion we feel for a wife whose husband neglects her, we have thought it but fair to caution our female readers to beware lest the fault be with them. Instead, however, of