us may not expend his zeal against the same sin in his own breast? Root it out thence, every soul of man, by the power of Divine grace,-and the evil will no longer have place in the land.

Is there no pride under the roof of the farmer and the cottager, as well as in the dwelling-house or the heart of the statesman and the noble? no desire to assume a mode of dress and manner of living, which was not ordained for us of God? Is there no private extravagance into which we have severally fallen, which we too must cut off with as unsparing a hand, as that which we call upon our rulers to exercise? Is there no ale-house that consumes the earnings which should go to the support of wives and children? Do we see no tyranny ever exercised by husbands over their wives, no rebellion in wives against their husbands, no misrule in heads of houses, children setting themselves up in opposition to their parents, and parents not restraining and correcting them, or teaching them what is right? Are there no servants, apprentices, and work men, whose masters neglect to teach them to serve God, though they provide faithfully for their bodily wants? Are there again, none in the lower classes who would willingly demand just pay, but care little to give just labour in return? My friends! let us look into our own houses, and still more closely into our own hearts, searching first what has been amiss there.

If God, at this time, visits us with severe but necessary correction, there is a voice which speaks to us both in his judgment and in his word, to which it were well that we should hearken: "O Israel return unto the Lord thy God; for thou hast fallen by thy iniquity."

The only strife in which it is lawful for us to engage, is the strife against our corruptions. The misdeeds. of others are become plain and offensive in our sight; how, think ye, do our own appear in the eyes of God? O let us engage in earnest in the holy warfare to which we were pledged in our infant years; in which his arm

will lead and his Spirit strengthen us. Let us fight against our craving and irregular desires, our love of ease, our thirst for power, our too anxious pursuit of gain.

Let us put a stop to our needless expenses; and our comforts will be more abundant. There are few in any class, except indeed amongst the very poorest and most deserving of our industrious peasantry, who may not make some little sacrifice of this kind. Is there nothing of vanity in the dress of the wives, and especially the daughters of our houses, alike unsuitable to their station, and evil in its consequences? Is there nothing in the appetites, and, I fear I may add, in the gambling propensities of the fathers and sons, which may well admit of a reform?

Some will think these hard sayings, but they are true; and they are truths which, if acted upon severally, in our houses, would produce inward comfort, and outward respectability. The feeling of respect, indeed is lessened towards the man, in whatever class he be, who lives for selfish gratification, and a search after pleasure, which lasts but a moment, and is followed by vexation, disappointment, and regrets that come too late." Why will ye spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labour for that which satisfieth not?"-" Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him. while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon."

Yes, let him return, and that speedily, in every ordinance and every service in which his Lord has been neglected. Then should we no longer have the house of God deserted, the sabbaths profaned, their holy rest. disturbed by unholy traffic, and forbidden journeyings; or polluted by vicious excess, and ill-timed dissipation. Then would our week-days be days of industrious and cheerful labour, each man filling well the station which Providence had assigned him.

The leisure of the rich would be devoted to the promotion of God's glory and man's comfort; the labour of the professional man, the tradesman, the mechanic, and the peasant, would be sanctified to the same end, and sweetened with the same mercy: the fire-side of the cottager would have content, and peace, and dutiful obedience, to reward the labour of his day; and the God of heaven would pour his blessing, in which is life itself, upon the hearts and homes of all. Reform would have wrought gloriously, and the song of our triumph would be, "Let the people praise thee, O God, yea let all the people praise thee." Then might we, with humble confidence, expect that "the earth would yield her increase, and God, even our own God, would bless us."

H.

We have received many more papers on "Reform," in verse and in prose,-than we have either room or inclination to insert. As" Cottagers" we prefer leav ing these matters to those whom they more particularly concern. We cannot indeed be indifferent to the state of our country, and most sincerely pray for the return of peace and unity. Many indeed have been our blessings and many have been our sins of unthankfulness for the favours and mercies which we have enjoyed. Much that is wrong has been admitted amongst us, which deserves to be corrected and forsaken; and God is scourging us for these sins. As a nation, in the midst of blessings beyond what any other nation ever enjoyed, we have forgotten God:-in our private conduct too, we have shewn the same forgetfulness;- -" and shall not God visit for these things ?"The Reform of which we stand most in need, is the reform of ourselves. If our hearts are "reformed," "renewed," and brought, in earnest, to the faith of Christ, and to the service of God;-we shall have found the true way, and the only way, to peace_and happiness and liberty.

THE approach of this dreadful disease has filled the minds of the whole nation with alarm; and it will be well for us if we make a good use of this alarm. The apprehension that we may be seized, at any moment, and carried off by a disease like this, is well calculated to make us think of our ways, and to ask ourselves

whether we are prepared to meet our Judge?" Whether our sins are forgiven through Jesus Christ? And whether, by the help of the Holy Spirit, we are living like the servants of God? But this is the state of preparation in which we ought always to be; for, though we may not be carried off by this disease, and though this alarm may cease, yet still we shall be carried off in some way, and the time is not far distant. This should be our first consideration:-and then, when this thought is well settled in our minds, it becomes us, in a time when an infectious disease is prevailing, to guard against its dangers, both to ourselves and to others. We extract the following directions from a sheet of which many thousands have been circulated by the City of London Board of Health.

Guard against heaps of refuse matter in drains, cesspools, dust-bins, and dirt-heaps; and purify such receptacles by solution of chloride of lime, to be procured on application at the Medical Stations of each Ward.

To keep inhabited apartments clean, by frequently washing and very carefully drying the floors; and to air them thoroughly, as well by fires as by a free access of fresh air.

To have the windows, especially of bed-rooms, put in good repair, so that the occupants may not be exposed, during sleep, to currents of night air.

To change bed-linen and furniture frequently, and to clear out those spaces in inhabited rooms which are

concealed by beds and other furniture, and which are so often made the depositories of filth and rubbish.

To wear flannel next the skin, more especially round the bowels, and to protect the feet and legs by woollen stockings.

To change damp clothing without delay.

DIET. To let the diet consist of plain food, and well-boiled vegetables, rejecting all indigestible kinds of food, such as salads, raw fruits, nuts, rich pastry, and in general such articles as each individual may have found by experience to create acidity, flatulence, and indigestion.

BEVERAGE. To keep from spirits and acid drinks, and to be sparing in the use of sugar, especially if it give rise to a sour fermentation in the stomach.

To maintain regular habits, using moderate exercise, keeping early hours, and taking nourishment at limited intervals, so that fatigue or exposure may never be encountered during an exhausted and empty state of the stomach.

This disease attacks all sorts of people; but those who are given to spirit-drinking seem to have been particularly subject to it.

The attack of this disease generally comes on in the night. The blood seems to leave all the smaller vessels near the surface of the body, and to rush to the larger vessels in the region of the heart. Something should be tried immediately, to bring the blood towards the skin again: and, if the doctor is not close at hand, something hot should be given instantly: many different things are recommended;-a tea-spoon full of sal-volatile in hot water, frequently repeated, or twenty drops of cajeput oil, or of oil of peppermint, or of cloves. Perhaps, where these are not at hand, a glass of hot strong brandy and water, at such a time, might be of great use:-there is generally a most painful sensation of cramp: to allay this, twenty drops