this child! His parents had not detected him in his sin; but he was not, on that account, free from punishment. Conscious guilt destroyed all his peace. When he retired to bed that night, he feared the dark. He was guilty, and, of course, wretched. The first thought which occurred to him on waking was the lie of the preceding day. He could not forget it.

Thus things went on for several weeks, till one day, the gentleman at whose house he had stopped, called at his father's on business. So soon as this boy saw him come into the house, his heart beat violently, and he turned pale with the fear that something would be said which would bring the whole truth to light. The gentleman, after conversing a few moments with the father, turned to the little boy, and said, "Well, how did you get home the other day? My boys had a very pleasant visit from you." Can you imagine how the boy felt? You could almost have heard his heart beat. The blood rushed into his face, and he could not speak, and he dared not raise his eyes from the floor. The gentleman then turned to his parents, and said, "You must let your son come up again and see my boys. They were quite disappointed when he was there a few days ago, for he only stayed about two hours, and they hoped he had come to spend the whole day with them." There, the whole truth was out. And how do you suppose that boy felt? He had disobeyed his parents; told a lie to conceal it ; had for weeks suffered the pangs of a guilty conscience, and now the whole truth was discovered. He stood before his parents overwhelmed with shame, convicted of mean falsehood.

This boy was all the time suffering the consequences of his sin. For many days he was enduring the reproaches of conscience, when the knowledge of his crime was confined to his own bosom. How bitterly did

he suffer for the few moments of forbidden pleasure he had enjoyed! The way of the transgressor is always hard. This guilty child, overwhelmed with confusion and disgrace, burst into tears, and implored his parent's forgiveness. But he was told by his parents that he had sinned, not only against them, but against God. The humbled child went to God in penitence and in prayer. He made a full confession of all to his parents, and obtained their forgiveness; and it was not till then that peace of mind was restored.

When persons are detected in one falsehood, they cannot be believed when they speak the truth. One day, this little boy was sent to a shop to purchase some small articles for his mother. In his haste, he forgot to stop for the few pence of change, which he ought to have received. Upon his return home, his mother enquired for the change. He had not thought about it before, and very frankly told her, that he had forgotten it entirely. How did his mother know that he was telling the truth? She had just detected him in one lie, and feared that he was now telling her another. hope, my dear son," she said, "you are not again deceiving me." The boy was perfectly honest this time, and his parents had never before distrusted his word. It almost broke his heart to be thus suspected; but he felt that it was just, and went to his chamber, and wept bitterly. These are the necessary consequences of falsehood. A liar can

"I

never be believed. It matters not whether he tells truth or falsehood, no one can trust his word. How much safer then is it to be sincere and honest! Strive to preserve your heart free from guile. You will then fear no detection. You can lie down at night in peace. You can awake in the morning with joy. Trusting in the Saviour for acceptance, you can die happy.

PREACHING FOR THE POOR." It must be obvious to every one who understands the common-place relations between cause and effect, that for preachers of the gospel to render their ministrations useful to the labouring classes, they should avail themselves of the idioms of speech, and the general modes of life which prevail in their respective localities, as channels to gain access to the understanding, and thence to

It is

the heart. This is an acquirement which cannot be obtained in the schools. that kind of knowledge which, in many circumstances, gives the artisan an advantage over the philosopher. As language is the ordinary medium of communication between man and man, it is essential to mutual understanding that the terms employed should be such as are intelligible to, and comprehended by, both parties; other

wise the objects of intercourse would necessarily be defeated. A lecture on chemistry, or any other branch of physical science, if encumbered with technicalities, would be utterly unintelligible to an illiterate assembly. So a preacher of the gospel, however distinguished by the originality and brilliance of his conceptions, the power and persuasion of his logical skill, the loftiness and beauty of his language, the eloquence of his style. the splendour of his imagery, or any other oratorical decorations, if he were to clothe his sermons with the mere frippery of rhetorical trappings, they would be utterly lost upon a congregation whose scholastic attainments were confined to the simple rudiments of education, and whose knowledge of modes of speech extended little beyond the dissyllabic elements of the English language. It requires little refinement of learning to shew, or little depth of penetration to discover, that pulpit discourses, to benefit the uneducated masses, especially in the rural districts, must be adapted, in their constructive composition, style, and diction, to the mental capabilities and literary acquirements of those to whom they are addressed. The adaptation of

means to the end is the secret and mainspring of success in all departments of life; and the adverse results of human enterprise, whatever be the specific character of the object sought, may generally be traced either to a want of correspondence between the means and the end, or to some capital effect in the mode by which those means are applied."-Mills's Prize Essay on the Lay Ministry.

DOMESTIC HAPPINESS.-Ah! what so refreshing, so soothing, so satisfying, as the placid joys of home! See the travelerdoes duty call him for a season to leave his beloved circle? The image of his earthly happiness continues vivid in his remembrance, it quickens him to diligence, it makes him hail the hour which sees his purpose accomplished, and his face turned towards home; it communes with him as he journeys, and he hears the promise which causes him to hope--" Thou shalt know also that thy tabernacle shall be in peace, and thou shalt visit thy tabernacle

and not sin." Oh! the joyful reunion of a divided family-the pleasures of renewed interview and conversation after days of absence! Behold the man of science- he drops the laborious and painful researchcloses his volume-smoothes his wrinkled brow-leaves his study, and unbending himself, stoops to the capacities, yields to the wishes, and mingles with the diversions of his children. Take the man of tradewhat reconciles him to the toil of business -what enables him to endure the fastidiousness and impertinence of customers-what rewards him for so many hours of tedious confinement? By and bye the season of intercourse will behold the desire of his eyes and the children of his love, for whom he resigns his ease; and in their welfare and smiles he will find his recompense. Yonder comes the labourer-he has borne the burden and heat of the day-the descending sun has released him of his toil, and he is bastening home to enjoy repose. Half-way down the lane, by the side of which stands his cottage, his children run to meet him. One he carries and one he leads. The companion of his humble life is ready to furnish him with his plain repast. See his toil-worn countenance assume an air of cheerfulness! His hardships are forgotten-fatigue vanishes-he eats and is satisfied. The evening fair, he walks with uncovered head around his garden-enters again, and retires to rest; "the rest of a labouring man is sweet whether he eat little or much." Inhabitant of this lowly dwelling! who can be indifferent to thy comfort? Peace be to this house.-Jay.

THE TRUE CHRISTIAN.-No man ought to think he has found peace when nothing troubles him; nor that all is well, because everything is according to his mind; nor that he is a holy person, because he prays with great sweetness and comfort. But he is at peace who is reconciled to God; and God loves him when he hath overcome himself; and it is well when nothing pleases him but God, being thankful in the midst of his afflictions; and he is holy, who, when he hath lost his comfort, loses nothing of his duty, but is still the same when God changes his face towards him.-Jeremy Taylor.

THE MONTH.

Most probably the present month will be an important one to the country; a very important one to Dissenters, and to Baptists as a part of them. The country is summoned, by the Ministry which dissolves Parliament, to pronounce its verdict on the great social, we may add moral, and therefore religious question of Free-Trade. The prime minister himself has avowed that he expects a verdict in his favour. It will, however, in regard to this point, be impera

tive on honest electors to refuse support to Derby candidates, since they avow their wish to do, by readjusting taxation in favour of the landlords, what they dare not do by reimposing duties on Food.

As to the questions, however, of most practical interest to our readers, we regret that the last month has done little to shew much difference between Lord John Russell and the Earl of Derby. Both are too evidently selfish and profane politicians. Both are devoted aristocrats, believing it for the

interest of society that their own small class should rule by birth, and an innumerable class be born only to be ruled. Both are devoted Churchmen, equally attached to the profanity of a National Establishment, as an aristocratic institution, and a political machine. But Lord John prefers to save aristocracy by seeming liberality; the Earl of Derby, by conceding nothing to the people. One would like to see the tories, the other, the whigs, predominate in the House of Commons; neither would like to see the people represented. Both would prefer pure and cheap elections, if it might be with safety to aristocratical domination; but both know that the ballot and large constituencies, while reducing electioneering vices to a minimum, would return far too large a number of virtuous and honest men to Parliament for party purposes. Church matters, the earl digs for political gold in the High Church veins; the lord labours in the Low Church diggings.

In

The leaders of both parties have published their manifestoes in addresses to electors. We can see, however, little difference between them, but that between the prayers of the Pharisee and the Publican. Lord John boasting of his past good deeds, but promising to do as few more of the same kind as possible. Mr. D'Israeli begging mercy for giving up the Bread tax. We wrong the publican, however; for his brother Israelite shews, that he is just only by compulsion, and that he would still like to have his slice out of the widow and orphan's quartern loaf.

It has

Our moral from the whole is, that Dissenters must utterly reject both parties, and throw their whole strength into the "PEOPLE'S PARTY." That party is now forming with vigour, and by natural means. some good representatives already. It is sure of ultimate triumph. We must, however, lay our account with years of patient labour. The "people's party" have two grand political objects before them. RELI

GION FREE FROM GOVERNMENT PAY AND CONTROL. Government free from aristocratic domination. By force and cunning, Tories and Whigs move heaven and earth to retain these two things. By firmness, by diffusion of knowledge, by suffering, if needs be, the people must wrest them from their grasp. The present ministry, after the House of Commons had voted the Educational Grant, have offered to the National School Society to permit them to force the Church Catechism and Liturgy upon all children who attend the schools, which, hitherto, Government have, to their credit, refused. The Maynooth business is now quite given up. It has served party purposes sufficiently. There is to be no enquiry, much less refusal of the grant. Protestants are to continue to educate Popish priests, because, if they do not, that Protestant disgrace, the Irish Church, will be swept away. Thus do politicians think to arrest the counsel of "Him who sitteth in the heavens." On the day on which we write, we learn that the true object of the Militia Bill is now admitted. The highest

authority on the subject-the Duke of Wellington has stated that its use is, that it will enable us to send more troops abroad. Taxes and conscription, therefore, impend over us to enable us to maintain StateChurch and aristocratic colonies, instead of inexpensive, thriving self-governed ones; and, possibly, that we may take once more the part of the perjured despots of Europe, should the spirit of religion and liberty menace their cruel and impious thrones. At the present moment this frank avowal is the more painful, as it was pointedly connected by the Duke with our present wars against the unfortunate Burmese and Kaffirs. The former has been fertile in bloodshed, in revenge for a small pecuniary injury. The latter has been entirely due to colonial office ignorance, and the utterly unstatesmanlike character of the colonial governor. Both will ultimately cost this country several millions of money, and disgrace us with the poor savages. In Caffraria, the British general deems it necessary to turn his soldiers literally into butchers. They are to slaughter all the cattle they capture, more than they can eat.

The Royal Commission on the University of Oxford has made its Report; many and important alterations are recommended; but they state, "that they were not instructed to entertain the question of the admission of Dissenters to the University." While we should, of course, rejoice in any act of national justice and such, doubtless, national admission to national universities would be -we cannot say that our experience and observation is in favour of consigning the sons of Dissenters to the religious, ecclesiastical, and moral temptations of Oxford. The atmosphere of that place is thoroughly corrupt. Church and State must be separated ere it will be pure enough for Dissenters to breathe with safety. One of the ablest advocates of the admission of Dissenters, quoted by the Commissioners, states, that "the general effect is to turn Dissenters into Churchmen."

An admonitory Providence continues to supply instruction of the most impressive kind as to the evils of Church and State connexion. The awful perjury, for lucre's sake entirely, of which deans and chapters are guilty, has been fully brought to light at Rochester. We commend an article on the subject, in this month's Eclectic, to the notice of every reader. The intolerable avarice and nepotism of the Bishops has found no defender even in the House of Commons. And, again, the Evangelical party, through Mr. Horsman, are exposing to Parliament and to the nation the inherent wickedness of the Patronage and Bishop system; in virtue of which the Tractarian Duchess of Somerset has presented to the vicarage of Frome, with the power of nominating several curates, the notorious Tractarian, Mr. Bennet, of St. Barnabas, who had been silenced for popery in London, and had been a regular attendant on popish worship since on the Continent. This half or whole papist, the Tractarian Bishop of Wells inducts into office, and, it is said,

could not help doing it. Frome is scandalized. The Evangelicals of the kingdom are furious; but, alas, are too blinded by proud contempt of voluntaryism, to see or to own the real cause of all such tyranny over congregations of christians. Still the laity of the Church are learning that State law and Christian liberty can never harmonize in the government of Christ's church. His kingdom is not of this world!

STATE OF RELIGION IN THE UNITED STATES.

We have been very much struck with the discriminating and faithful remarks of the correspondent of The Christian Times on this subject. After enumerating many painful facts attesting that the number of professed christians, especially amongst young men, is far less than ever, in proportion to the population, he lays his finger upon the chief cause with a distinctness which shews him to be right. We wish we could reprint the whole letter; it is in substance as applicable to England as to the States. "In some States, as the population_rapidly increases, the number of professed christians is annually diminishing." "The population has increased by six millions since 1840, but the theological students in the Presbyterian and Congregational colleges are less by seventy than they were that year!" "A recent report from Connecticut shews that at least two-fifths of the population have no connexion with any place of worship whatever;" in other States it is thought to be much worse. A'merchant in Rochester, New York, a city of 40,000 inhabitants, told the writer, that "he did not know a single young man in the city who was a professed christian; whereas, fifteen years ago, he could have named five hundred who were not only professed but active christians. Another, to whom this was mentioned, also one well-informed on the subject, did not know a young man under twenty-five a professed christian." Several other painful corroborations of these statements are adduced. Perhaps we cannot, however, do better than give, though in small type, the rest of the letter, only requesting our readers to enquire whether there are not matters of public, social, and political morality on which the "theological professors and leading ministers," the "wealthier members," and, through their influence, "the churches," have failed to espouse what the masses, by the light of nature, know to be right. If so, the church is answerable for the scepticism which rests on the supposed low morality of the book to which those churches appeal. Let our ministers and deacons especially, study every one of the following sentences carefully.

"An impression quite deep and pervading, yet somewhat vague and undefined, rests upon the public mind throughout this country, that the morality of Christianity is less perfect than that taught by the natural reason and conscience, the moral principles of revealed less universal and less benign in their bearings upon humanityespecially when clad in the habiliments of

Nor

poverty, or down-trodden and oppressedthan that of natural religion. The mass of mankind-a fact certainly which will not excuse them at the judgment-do not look beyond the visible example of the nominal Church, and the teachings of the pulpit and the religious press, for their opinions of the morality of Christianity itself. Suppose that the Church in her visible conduct, and the pulpit and the religious press in their leading teachings, sanction, in the name of Christianity, doings, institutions, and customs, which the conscience of the masses cannot but affirm, and that absolutely, to be wrong, and condemn those which it cannot but affirm to be right, what is the result? The masses, however destructive it may be to their spiritual interests, will receive the impression that the morality of Christianity is not only at war with the necessary affirmations of the natural conscience, but is, in fact, less perfect in its teachings, and, consequently, cannot be a revelation from a Being possessed of absolute infinity and perfection. The final result is, that men become sceptical almost with the consent of their consciences. is this scepticism confined to those who reprobate such teachings. Those who applaud are internally shocked at what they cannot but perceive to be the inconsistency between what they do, and what they should, hear, from such sources, and hence, without knowing why, imbibe sentiments hostile to Christianity itself. It is only when the Church occupies a position which leads out the individual and public conscience, and illumines and renders sacred the law of duty and right, in all its endlessly diversified applications, individual, social, civil, aud religious, and thus, by a manifestation of the truth, commending herself to every man's conscience in the sight of God,' that her testimony in favour of Christianity, as a Divine religion, can be of real weight with any class of men, especially in communities where free, independent thought is the acknowledged birthright of all alike. In any other position the influence of the Church is towards unbelief, rather than a rational faith, in Christianity. Men will not believe that that is Divine in its origin which condemns what their own conscience cannot but affirm to be right, or approves as virtuous what it cannot but affirm to be wrong.

Our

"Here we have what every judicious observer must regard as one of the main causes of the scepticism which is now so rapidly prevailing in this country. great ecclesiastical organizations, and, to a very great extent, the leading influence of the pulpit and the religious press, are in an attitude of visible opposition to what the general conscience does and must affirm to be right and morally binding, and of approval of what conscience and natural religion affirm with equal absoluteness to be wrong and grossly so; and this attitude is taken in the name of Christianity itself holy men shewing Scripture for the deed.' Take an example in illustration: Some years ago, at or near the capital of these United States, a number of sailors saw a gang of slaves,

covered with chains, driven on board of a slave-ship, to be taken round to New Orleans as articles of commerce. Shocked at the inhuman spectacle, one of them exclaimed, 'Well, shipmates, if the devil does not get the fellows who do such things, we may as well not have any devil.' Suppose, now, that a reverend divine hearing the remark, and himself shocked at the impiety of it, steps forward and proves to these men that slavery, which creates and sanctifies such abominations, is not in fact an unchristian institution, but has the sanction of the God of the Bible in both dispensations, and both Testaments, the Old and the New. What effect has he produced upon their minds? He has not altered their judgment of the intrinsic character of slavery. That judgment is, and in truth cannot but be, a fixed fact. This our divine has not changed. But he has fundamentally changed their estimate of Christianity. He has introduced into their minds the leaven of scepticism, and done the most that he possibly could to prepare them to exclaim, Well, if the the Bible sanctions such abominations, we may as well not have any Bible.' In this country, our great ecclesiastical and benevolent organizations have, in public estimation, taken this mother of abominations' to their bosoms, and are dying in the horrible embrace. Our leading ministers at the altar, and, to a great extent, the religious press, are known and read of the public as implicated in upholding, in the name of Christianity, this 'same' mystery of iniquity. Our national Government, at the bidding of the slave-owners, passed a law, the remembrance of which has put a blush of eternal shame upon our country in the presence of indignant humanity, and has thus openly taken the ground that the Constitution of these United States is the highest authority known to the people. This our Government has done, and our theological professors, and most influential preachers, have vied with each other in their hot haste to sanctify the deed, and that in the name of Christianity. In respect to other great reforms, aside from that of anti-slavery, and in respect to other great principles of eternal truth and rectitude, which are being pressed upon the public mind, the Church and the ministry are, to a very great extent, in the rear of the public conscience. Infidelity has marked the melancholy fact, and has made the most of it in pushing her work of moral desolation and death. Everywhere the Church is being openly and secretly assailed, and that under one charge, as being behind the spirit of the age, and false to the principles of fundamental morality. Everywhere Infidelity professes to teach a higher and purer morality than the Church, and what is said of the Church commends itself to the public conscience as true. The result is, that the convictions induced respecting the Church and the ministry are finally changed in the public mind into the leaven of scepticism, in respect to Christianity, which the Church represents. As long as this state of things continues, no other result can reasonably be antici

pated. While the Church sustains the relations of opposition, or even of indifference, to great movements of the public mind against such gross abominations as slavery and intemperance, or in favour of the principles of universal brotherhood of nations and of man, she herself does, and cannot but, become the chief cause of the infidelity which is spreading around her.

as

"I will allude to but one other visible cause of the state of things of which I am speaking. For the last fifteen or twenty years there has, in public estimation, been in the Church in this country a zeal of God' in respect to questions of doctrinequestions which none regard as involving christian character-and a corresponding indifference to the claims of fundamental morality. The Presbyterian Church, for example, has been rent asunder throughout the length and breadth of the land on such questions of doctrine as this: Whether men deserve God's wrath and curse not only in this life but in that which is to come for the sin of Adam,' while both divisions have, at the same time, stood in visible open fellowship with such abominations American slavery. When the Church can 'bear those that are evil,' and cannot endure in her members imputed error in doctrine, she is in the worst attitude she can be for the promotion of a rational faith in Christianity. Suppose, for example, that while there is in the two great parties in the English Church such an intense zeal in respect to the doctrine of baptismal regeneration, there is in each of those parties a corresponding visible indifference to the existence of proved gross moral evils in the ministry and members of the Church, the exclusive tendency of such a state of things would be to infidelize the English mind. Here we have one of the main causes of the progress of scepticism and irreligion in this country. But my sheet is full, and I must let drop a veil over other features of the sad picture which I have been drawing."

RELIGIOUS SERVICES FOR THE WORKING

CLASSES.

It is well known that in Bradford and other manufacturing communities, a large proportion of the population, a majority indeed, are living apart from all religious instruction and associations. These people are not exactly sceptics; so far as they know anything of religious truth they are believers —that is, they will assent to it. But for all uses, either as regards the peace of their own minds, or the conduct they exhibit to others, they are as far removed from the religious influences that exist among us, as the inhabitants of Patagonia. And yet

these men are not insensible to human kindness, or indifferent to christian sympathy. Approach them in the right way, without treading upon their prejudices, and they will give you an audience. This fact, most encouraging to the christian philanthropist, is evident from what has taken place in Bradford these two years. In January, 1851, the lecture-room of the Mechanics' Institute