thought that there are with us, even with us, sins against the Lord our God;" that the battle is the Lord's, and that unless He had been on our side when men rose np against us, they had swallowed us up quickly. In our treatment of the vanquished the history before us must be an example; and to confirm it, we have the exhortation of the Apostle: "If thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink;" and of one greater than Paul, who said, "Love your enemies, bless them that persecute you, do good to them that hate

you.

It must ever be our prayer that wars may cease, and the blessings of peace and unity again restored to the nations of the earth, that we may, while still compelled to carry on this war, check all pride of heart in the success with which it may please God to bless our arms, and uttering the prayer now appointed for our use, beseech God to abate our pride, to assuage our malice, and so to defend us by his Holy Spirit, that we may in our lives glorify Him, who is the only Giver of victory!

I am, Sir, your old Correspondent,

SIGN-BOARDS AT INNS, &c.

L. S. R.

SOME years ago it was much more common than it is now to have a few lines of verse written on sign-boards over ale-houses and other places. Most tradesmen, in former days, had some sort of sign against their shop; and it generally hung across the street, as you see in many of the old prints and pictures, such as Hogarth's and others. At present, signs are chiefly confined to inns and ale-houses; and now and then you still see some lines "writ underneath the country signs." They are chiefly to invite customers to walk in, and to taste the beer, which turns out much to the benefit of the landlord, and often very much to the damage of the customer. This same landlord, in his invitation, expresses his particular unwillingness to "trust." And he is very wise in this; it is good for himself: he must

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take care of that; but it is good for the customer, too, that there should be no trust." A man will ruin himself and his family soon enough, without having old debts to pay, beside the present expense of his indulgence. The landlord at Leek, in Staffordshire, expresses his particular desire to be paid, after the good cheer and honest dealing which he promises :

"My ale is good,
My measure just;
You must excuse,
I cannot trust."

A shoemaker, in another town, also expresses a desire to be paid after his job :

"I make good boots, I make good shoes,

And bad ones I make better;

My price is just, I never trust,

And therefore have no debtor."

There is another sign, very common still in country
places. It is a gate, hung up before the house, and it
has a verse under it, well known to many of our country
travellers, and was much better known when a labouring-
man was obliged to walk many a weary mile along the
road to see a sick friend or relation, than now when he
may travel in a few hours a distance which it would have
required several days to work through on foot; and his
fare by the railroad train will cost him less money than
the long journey on foot, and all his loss of time. The
gate, however, hangs out a welcome sign to a way-worn
traveller. We are in a better humour with its verse
than with the other invitations given for the benefit of
the landlord:-
:-

"This gate hangs well, and hinders none,
Refresh and pay, and travel on."

Now this is the right meaning of a public-house; it is a place where a traveller may rest and refresh himself. If he pays his way, he will travel on in comfort. A

traveller wants refreshment.

As to the use to which public-houses are now generally applied, the word "refreshment" seems quite gone out of the book. It is a pint of beer which makes a man want another, and so on, till the entrance to one of these

houses means a coarse, and rough, and noisy meeting of the worst people in the parish, ruinous in expense, starving a family, making home miserable, and leading to every sort of wickedness and crime. We don't want to see every public-house shut up. They are to "refresh" the traveller; he is to "pay, and travel on." The sitting day after day, and night after night drinking at these houses, is quite contrary to their intention and meaning; and it is a habit into which, of late years, the labouring classes have grievously fallen, and which, in truth, is "travelling" in one sense, and very fast travelling, too, on the road to ruin."

EXTRACT FROM MY FAMILY BIBLE.

ST. MARK xiv. 10-25.

GOD has all persons and things ever ready for the fulfilment of his plans, whether it is a traitor like Judas, a "good man of the house" to receive Christ and his disciples, or a room furnished and prepared for them to eat the passover. We must not be in a hurry about any thing connected with religion. "God will provide" (Gen. xxii. 8). That which we most want is faith in God. This the Christian feels more every day he lives, because he perceives that God does all things well that are committed to Him. It had been better for Judas that he had not been born; and better also will it have been for every impenitent sinner that shall find himself before God in his sins. That which goes so much against baptized Christians of a pure Church is this, that, like Judas, much has been committed to them. Had they been honest inquirers, they would have known, felt, and obeyed the truth of the Gospel so as to be saved. It can not be too often repeated that want of honesty is the root of all the unbelief of the Holy Gospel, and unbelief, either in a greater or less degree, is the parent of all bad morality. You need not ask, brethren, "Is it Iis it I," that am betraying Christ? conscience will tell you for a long time how you are going on in the way to heaven. You will be told plainly enough by conscience that your works are not in agreement with the

character you ought to bear as baptized Christians; and take care you listen and pray God to reform what you are doing amiss. You may make remembrance of Christ's death over and over again; like Judas you may be at the Lord's table with Him: but you may perish, as did he, because of some sin that keeps you from the love of Christ. Evil Judas drank of the wine that figured out the blood of Jesus. Shall men of piety be made out to be worse than Judas, because they are not ministers? Yet does Rome refuse the cup to all but the ordained to the ministry; and the Baptist Dissenters refuse to admit to the table of the Lord any that are not of the particular congregation to which it is proposed to be administered. Brethren, it is the privilege of all those that belong to the branch of Christ's Holy Church here established that they make remembrance of Christ's precious and all-sufficient sacrifice for them. As often as the sacred bread and wine are placed upon the table of the Lord, minister and hearers may take of both equally. This is according to Christ's intention. Who therefore that is really in earnest about his salvation will neglect to remember the Lord that bought him? There are few real Christians, and therefore few communicants, in comparison to the number of baptized persons. Oh, strive by prayerful reading of the Scriptures to know Jesus, and you will not fail to call his love to mind very often! Jesus remembered you in your lost estate, when under the anger of God. He died the death of the worst of criminals for you, because you were in God's sight as the worst of criminals. Therefore, when by God the Holy Ghost you see and confess this, joyfully will you draw near with faith and receive the Holy Communion, to your great and endless comfort. Great is the mystery of redeeming love, yet simple its memorial. This is of the love of God; and they that would make of the Holy Communion more than God has made of it, are taking away great comfort from those who want it under the confessed guilt and burden of sin. All you that feel your need of the preciousness of Jesus, be not frightened at the Lord's Supper! Draw near rather, and partake of the simple but effectual remembrances of the death of

Christ, which has opened for the humble and believing penitent the gate of everlasting life. Make joyful remembrance of that wonderful and perfect act of atonement whereby your pardon and your righteousness were bought; and having communicated, rejoice in Jesus always, being most glad when, by the spirit of Christ your God and Saviour, yourselves, your souls and bodies are made and kept reasonable, holy, and lively sacrifices unto the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, one God blessed for ever. A LAYMAN.

Amen.

A CASE OF SUDDEN DEATH.

THE later accounts from our army in Turkey bring comforting news of the decrease of cholera. Deaths, however, occur frequently, as must always be the case among so many thousands; and sometimes death appears under circumstances more awful than cholera itself. One such case has been mentioned in the daily papers. Two brothers, in two different regiments, agreed to spend the Sunday evening of August 20th together. But, alas, instead of spending it usefully, or even innocently, they made the end of the holy day an occasion of greater sin than usual. They went to one of the dram-shops, and stayed there till they were nearly insensible; and then, reeling towards the camp, sank down exhausted, not far from the chaplain's tent, and fell asleep. Alas! how little did they in their drunken fit consider what a night might bring forth. At the dawn of day one of the men awoke, hardly yet sober, and looking round, seemed bewildered when he found himself lying on the ground. He hailed a soldier who was passing, and who, coming near, asked who he was, and what brought him there. Before there was time for an answer the soldier exclaimed: "What have we

here? That man close to you is dead." These terrible words effectually sobered and roused the drunken sleeper. How fearful to look upon the dead body of his brother, and think of the last hours they had spent together! One had been, indeed, taken, and the other left, but taken where? was the terrible question. God grant, that the living brother may have profited by the dreadful warning,