thy to suffer for Christ. To honour him, they gladly took the spoiling of their goods, resigned their dearest friends, and endured persecution and death. There are those at the present day, who possess the same spirit; who willingly give up their worldly interest, and subject themselves to the hatred of men, for the sake of their Lord; who willingly suffer reproach, and expose their name to be trampled under foot, that Christ may be magnified; who hold nothing so dear, that they will not cast it away for Christ's sake.

Do you still ask, where such characters are to be found? I answer again, wherever there are CHRISTIANS. You may fix your eye upon ministers of the gospel,-upon ambassadors of Christ in pagan lands, and upon good men in the various walks of life, who give, I say not the same degree, but the same kind of evidence of devotion to Christ, with that which was given by the holy Apostles. And he who slights the evidence of supreme love to Christ, which these exhibit, would equally slight the evidence which should be exhibited by a new race of APOSTLES and MARTYRS.

The reward of Christians is as certain, as their devotion to Christ is sincere. They receive an hundred fold in this present life. Great peace have they, who love God's law. The wicked, from the very nature of their affections, are like the troubled sea when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. But cordial devotion to Christ imparts serenity and peace to the soul. How happy are they who have cast off the slavery of passion, who have given up the vain cares and pursuits, which distract the minds of worldlings, and yielded them selves wholly to God, resting in him as their all in all

To them belong the pleasures of benevolence. As this is their ruling affection, they must be happy in proportion as its object is promoted. That object, which is primarily, the prosperity and happiness of the kingdom of Christ, is absolutely secure. Christians know it to be so, and therefore enjoy a peace which no adversity can destroy. In all that they do, and in all that others do to advance the welfare of the Redeemer's kingdom, they partake the purest pleasure. Let them see the glory of God displayed in the salvation of sinners; let them see the Church look forth as the morning; let them enjoy communion with Christ; and they have enough. This is their object, their treasure, the heritage which they have chosen. The eternal glory of God and the boundless good of his kingdom is an object infinitely excellent and worthy of supreme regard. The pleasure of those who are devoted to this glorious object, and see that it is perfectly secure, is a kind of divine pleasure, partaking of the nature of its divine and infinite object.

I am well aware, that these are unintelligible things to those who are destitute of religion. What does a man, without taste, know of the sweetness of the honey-comb? How can blindness perceive the pleasantness of light, or deafness the charms of music? But inquire of those who are entitled to speak on the subject,-inquire of fervent Christians, what the rewards of self-denial are. With one voice they answer, that those, who forsake all for Christ, receive an hundred fold, even in this life.

It is the uniform method of divine grace to give spiritual comfort to those, who are freed from earthly affection. The more the world in

excluded from the nearts of believers, the more they are filled with all the fullness of God!Blessed exchange! What tongue can describe the happiness of the saints, when they part with all that they have for the name of Christ, and He, their all gracious Saviour and Friend, takes up his dwelling in their hearts! O what peace! What quietness! What a beginning of heaven. Ask the Apostles, in the midst of their labours, privations and sufferings, whether they are losers on Christ's account?-You hear them speaking of perpetual triumph, of comfort in tribulation, of joy unspeakable and full of glory. The lonely desert, through which, with weary steps, they travel, witnesses their joy. The dungeon, where they are chained, witnesses their holy transports, and hears their midnight praises. Perils innumerable by land and sea, weariness and painfulness, cold and hunger, prisons, stripes and tortures, cannot deprive them of their joy.

But all the enjoyment of Christians in this life, is only the beginning of their blessedness. The consummation of it is the everlasting life, which they will inherit in the world to come. It will be a life of perfect holiness, and perfect, endless joy. They will live in the society of holy angels, and dwell in the presence of their blessed Lord, who loved them and gave himself for them. While they behold his glory, and enjoy his love, they will perfectly possess the object of all their desires. They wish for no higher happiness, than to enjoy God forever. This is everlasting life. Give them this, and they ask no more.

I have been led to this train of reflections by an event, which has lately arrested the attention of the public, and caused sensations of unusua

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tenderness in the friends of Zion. ware that I refer to the lamented death of Mrs. HARRIET NEwell. I rejoice, that, after the most intimate acquaintance with that excellent woman, I am able to say, that she happily exemplified the character which I have drawn.From the uniform tenor of her conduct for several years, there is reason to believe, that she was one, who forsook all for Christ, and who received an hundred fold in this present life. And there is equal reason to believe that she now inherits everlasting life in heaven.

But let God our Saviour have the glory of all the moral beauty which adorned her character. The temper of mind which she manifested, was contrary to every principle of unsanctified nature. If she was indeed what she appeared to be, it was by the washing of regeneration, and the renewing of the Holy Ghost.

Before she indulged a hope that she was a subject of spiritual renovation, she had a long season of distressing conviction, careful self-examination, and earnest prayer. She could not admit he comfortable conclusion that she was born again, before she was conscious, that she had given herself to the Lord, and yielded sincere obedience to his holy commands.

Long before she thought her own salvation secure, she began to exercise an enlarged affection for the kingdom of Christ, and to be fervent in her prayers for the building up of Zion, and the salvation of the heathen. This became the prominent feature of her religion,-the supreme object of her pursuits. A considerable time before

Foreign Mission from this country was contemplated, the universal diffusion of the Christian re

ligion was the favourite subject of her meditations and prayers.

When in the course of divine providence one of those who had devoted themselves to the Foreign Mission, sought her as the companion of his labours and sufferings, her great concern was to discover the will of God. As soon as she became satisfied respecting her duty, her determination was fixed. Here we come to the point where her character began to assume a lustre, which excited the admiration of all who shared her friendship. Through the grace of God she entirely consecrated herself to the establishment of the kingdom of Christ in pagan lands. To this great and glorious object all her thoughts and studies, her desires and prayers tended. It was only with a view to this, that she considered her talents and acquirements of any special importance. Even her health and life seemed of little consequence to her, except in relation to this grand object.

But this entire self-devotion had no tendency to blunt the sensibilities of her heart, or to extinguish her natural affections. She had these in all their vigor; but she had what every Christian possesses, an affection which holds a superiority over the natural affections, and makes them subservient to its purposes. Had our natural affections been designed, as the highest principles of action, the Lord Jesus would never have set up another principle above them. Our dear departed friend did not more truly rise above the natural principles of action than every Christian does, when he seeks the glory of God in the common business of life. Her affections were of the same nature with those which Christians