developement of his peculiar talents and guided by the bent of his own mind, as well as by a strong necessity, he brought the whole force of his natural and acquired resources to bear, with such devoted, and at the same time, well-directed enthusiasm, on the promotion both of the temporal and spiritual interests of his flock, and succeeded in accomplishing so vast an improvement on their domestic and social economy-that his history will be found as attractive to the lover of romance, as it deserves to be known to the Christian, as a beautiful example of the power and the fruits of faith. his studies, which were at first general, and without any view to a particular profession, were gradually directed, through the force of his own taste, as well as of circumstances, to qualify him for the office of the ministry. Shortly after he has commenced his theological career, the attention of the Strasbourg citizens was powerfully arrested, by the appearance among them of a preacher, of the name of Dr Lorentz, who, in addition to great powers of popular eloquence, dwelt so much, and so impressively, on the grand doctrines of evangelical truth, that crowds repaired to him wherever he went. Among others, who waited on his ministry, was Oberlin's mother, who, herself a woman of ardent piety, felt the views of this evangelical minister more suited to her spiritual wants and desires than the jejune morality she was accustomed to hear in the churches of Strasbourg; and having expressed a strong wish that ber favourrentz on the following Sabbath, she prevailed upon him so far, by her urgent solicitations, that, in spite of the prohibition of the theological professors, he went-was delighted with the strain of the preaching-became a regular and diligent attendant on the Doctor's sermons-and gradually came, through prayer and reading of the Scriptures, to adopt the evangelical views of divine truth, as those most agreeable to the Word of God. His impressions of the importance of religion, always strong, were greatly deepened; his resolution to dedicate himself to the work of the ministry assumed a more decided character; and to confirm himself in the principles and habits of piety, he renewed his baptismal consecration to God by a formal covenant, agreeably to the method recommended by Dr Doddridge in his "Ris: and Progress." Having completed his course of theological study, he was ordained a minister according to the forms of the Lutheran Church, but continued for seven years without any pastoral charge, being desirous of maturing his mind and enlarging his knowledge, before he entered on the active performance of duties, the qualifications for which he rated at a high standard. Meanwhile, he entered as private tutor into the family of M. Ziegenhagen, an eminent surgeon in Strasbourg, where, besides other advantages, he acquired that knowledge of botany, medicine, and general science, which enabled him afterwards to render such beneficial services to his parishioners. In that humble situation he had continued for seven years, when he was offered the chaplaincy of a French regiment-a situation which, as it accorded with the early passion he had cherished for a military life, as well as afforded an extensive prospect of usefulness among a class of persons who generally stand much in need of a zealous spiritual instructor, he readily accepted; and in order to qualify himself the more fully for the situation, he left M. Ziegenhagen's family--hired an obscure lodging up three pair of stairs, where he shut himself from the world, and devoted himself to a course of extensive study. Though forgetting the world in this retirement, he was not himself forgotten, for M. Stouber, pastor of the Ban de la Roche, being about to leave his charge for a more important one in Strasbourg, immediately directed his eyes to Oberlin as the fittest person to be his successor. And as that office, which he ultimately accepted, altered the whole complexion of his future life, it may be proper, at this stage, to give some idea of the state of that parish at the time when M. Stouber served. Oberlin was born at Strasbourg, on the 31st August, 1740, of a reduced, though highly respectable family. His father held an office in the Gymnasium of that city, -an institution which was designed as a preparatory school for the Lutheran college of the same place--and devoted his leisure time to the education of his nine children. As it often happens, however, the chief bur-ite son, Frederic, should accompany her to bear Dr Loden of forming the minds of that young family devolved upon the mother, who was a woman of a sound judgment, and superior accomplishments, and possessed, in great perfection, the happy art of training up her children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. On the evenings of every day, she assembled them around a table, to read to them some interesting narrative, in which instruction was blended with amusement-whilst, in the meantime, her little auditors were busily employed in copying some drawings, which their father had sketched for them during the day; and scarcely a night passed, without a general request, before separating, that dear mamma would favour them with one beautiful hymn" -one of those sacred songs which Luther composed, in conjunction with some of his illustrious contemporaries, and which being carefully impressed on the memories of the young in his day, were powerful instruments in spreading the influence of the Reformed religion. The hymn sung by the Oberlins was always followed by a prayer; and there can be little doubt, that the strong impression which these evening occupations of his childhood made on the mind of the young Frederic, contributed to form those peculiar features of character, which were so remarkable in the future pastor of Waldbach. As the children grew up, the elder Oberlin judiciously adapted their studies and pastimes to their advancing age; and among the various expedients which the indulgent father contrived for their amusement, was one, that took such a hold of the mind of Frederic, as nearly shaped the course of his future life. A small property, belonging to the family, lay a few miles out of the town of Strasbourg. Thither the father repaired with his family, once every week, during the summer months, and used to perambulate the walks of the little garden attached to the house, with a drum tied to his waist, while his seven boys were taught to follow him, and go through all the different military evolutions. So fond were they all-and particularly Frederic, of this stirring exercise--that he came to talk of nothing but soldiers and warfare-read every book he could prothat detailed battles and sieges-and frequented the society of some soldiers that were quartered in the town, till his uncommon knowledge of military affairs attracted the notice of the superior officers, and he obtained their permission to join in their exercises. This fondness for a soldier's life, however, did not meet with the approbation of his father, who having destined him for a learned profession, deemed it necessary to interfere, and remove him from the scene of such dangerous attractions. And although Frederic was naturally of an ardent and lively temper, yet, perceiving the views of his father to be decidedly opposed to his following the camp, his sense of filial duty made him cheerfully defer to paternal advice, and enter with the same enthusiasm on the peaceful pursuits of literature, as he would have done had he been left to his own inclinations, or the more stirring career of a military life. The course of cure, The Ban de la Roche, or Steinthal, is a mountainous district in the north-east of France, bordering on Alsace, and forming part of the western ramifications of the Haut Champ, an isolated range of mountains, detached by a deep valley from the eastern boundary of the pass of the Vosges. It comprehends two parishes, of which Rothan is one, while the other, containing three churches, extends over the five hamlets of Foudai, Belmont, Waldbach Bellefosse and Zolbach, and is inhabited entirely by Lutherans. The whole district comprises about 9000 English acres, of which more than a third is covered with wood, 2000 are laid out in pasture, and the remainder is cultivated for the common food of the peasantry-oats, rye, and potatoes. The inhabitants of this canton had long enjoyed, in common with the other people of Alsace, an entire liberty of conscience, which was stipulated for by a special decree, when the province was incorporated with France, and which was never infringed, even during the bloody persecutions that were directed against the Protestants in other parts of France. Circumstances, however, prevented the people from reaping the advantages of this privilege, for that district having been unfortunately the seat of conflict during the Thirty Years' War, was so laid There were no waste, as to be scarcely habitable. roads no implements of agriculture; the very knowledge of the art of cultivating the ground was scarcely possessed by the secluded semi-barbarian inhabitants, who, to the number of eighty or a hundred families, subsisted almost wholly on roots and herbs, which were the spontaneous produce of the soil, and lived in a state of society, the misery and degradation of which can be more easily imagined than described. The hope of the young generation being superior to their parents in this sequestered region, may be judged of by a single anecdote of what occurred to M. Stouber on his first arrival. Being desirous of visiting the school, he was directed to a miserable cottage, where a number of children were crowded together, without any occupation, and in so turbulent a state, that it was difficult for him to procure an answer to his enquiries for the master. "There he is," said one of them, as soon as silence could be obtained, pointing to a withered old man, who lay on a little bed in one corner of the apartment. "Are you the schoolmaster, my good friend ?" enquired Stouber. "Yes, sir."—" And what do you teach the children ?" "Nothing, sir."-" Nothing! How is that?"-" Be- | cause," replied the old man, with characteristic simplicity, "I know nothing myself."-" Why then were you made schoolmaster?" Why, sir, I had been taking care of the Waldbach pigs for a great number of years, and when I got too old and infirm for that employment, they sent me here to take care of the child ren." 66 This man affords a specimen of all the schools in the five villages, which were taught by masters no better qualified, and to which the children were sent, for no other purpose than to be kept out of mischief. The pastor lost no time in endeavouring to reform the schools; for such was the deplorable ignorance of the people, and so greatly had the office of schoolmaster fallen into contempt, that he could not prevail on any individuals to allow their sons to enter on such an employment; and it was not till the happy thought struck him, to change the name of Schoolmaster, and call him Superintendent of the school, that he succeeded in obtaining the services of some promising and active young men. Having drawn up an alphabet for their use, and prepared a series of spelling and reading books, the zealous pastor raised, by the assistance of a benevolent individual at Strasbourg, a sum sufficient to build a wooden school-house, and to afford a small salary to each of the masters. In introducing these improvements, he had to encounter the greatest difficulties from the prejudices of the people, who did not perceive the use of spelling-books, filled with whole pages of unconnected syllables; but when they perceived, to their astonishment, that by this means, the children were enabled in a few months to read any book that was put into their hands, their elder brothers and sisters, and even the parents also, in many instances, expressed a desire for instruction; in consequence of which, a school for adults, during part of the Sunday, and the long winter evenings, was opened. Having brought them to this stage, Stouber's next object was to introduce the Scrip tures among them, for although they were Protestants of the Lutheran Church, and had a pastor always resident among them, they had never seen a Bible. They thought of it only as a certain large book containing the word of God, and were not easily persuaded that the French Protestant Bibles, which their pastor distributed among them, of which he had received about fifty as a present, and for wider circulation had divided each into three parts, and bound them into thin volumes, were the same as the large book. By degrees, however, their prejudices wore off, their diligent pastor laboured to make them acquainted with the sacred contents of the Bible, and adapting his style of preaching, which was decidedly evangelical, to the state and acquirements of his flock, succeeded, through the divine blessing, in bringing many under salutary impressions, and raising the tone of morals among the people at large during the fourteen years of his residence among them. Anxious, as such a pastor might naturally be expected to feel, that the course of moral and religious improvement he had commenced in the Ban de la Roche should be carried on, he did not relinquish the charge till he had made every exertion to provide a successor animated with a kindred spirit to himself; and being well acquainted with the pious and energetic character of Oberlin, he waited upon him, as we have already said, to request his acceptance of the pastoral engagement. The situation in which he found the young scholar, is too singular and characteristic to be passed without notice. On opening the door, the first object that caught his attention was a small bed, standing in one corner of the room, covered with brown paper hangings," that," said Stouber to himself, "would just suit the Steinthal." On approaching the bed, he found Oberlin lying upon it and suffering from a violent toothache. He rallied him about the simplicity of his curtains and the homeliness of his apartments. "And pray," continued he, after having taken a survey of the room, "what is the use of that little iron pan that hangs over your table?""That is my kitchen," re plied Oberlin. "I am in the habit of dining at home with my parents every day, and they give me a large piece of bread to bring back in my pocket. At eight o'clock in the evening I put my bread into that pan, and having sprinkled it with salt and poured a little water upon it, I place it over my lamp, and go on with my studies till ten or eleven o'clock, when I generally begin to feel hungry, and relish my self-cooked supper." Stouber was delighted-felt that this was the very man he wanted, and immediately proposed to him to take the vacant parish of the Ban de la Roche. Nothing could have been more congenial to Oberlin's own mind; and accordingly, having resigned the chaplaincy, and completed all his arrangements, after many earnest prayers that a blessing might rest upon himself and the little flock of whom he was to take the oversight, he accompanied his new friend back to Waldbach, and arrived there on the 30th March, 1767, in the twentyseventh year of his age. It had been the anxious desire of his parents, with whose entire approbation he had made this change in his mode of life, that he should take a partner with him to his sequestered parsonage. His mother particularly was earnest on the subject, and Oberlin, who was easy on the point, consented, on condition that she should point out to him where he was to find a suitable wife. Having directed him to the daughter of a rich brewer's widow who resided in their neighbourhood, and with whom she had received a hint that he might succeed, he resolved to make the experiment; but as it had been his practice from his earliest years to wait for some intimation from Providence, he earnestly prayed to God that he would direct him in forming a judgment whether this would be likely to prove a happy and useful connection. The spirit was good, but the manner in which he followed it was wrong, as he very in consistently laid down to himself the signs by which | pense to himself, to benefit the people, it might have been expected, that they would have hailed his plans with the liveliest satisfaction and gratitude. Whether he had begun prematurely or not, certain it was, that the most violent opposition was made to him as an innovator, and an extensive conspiracy was formed against him, of which, however, he obtained warning in time to enable him to defeat the attempt. Sunday being the day fixed for its execution, he on that day took for his text these words of our Saviour, in the fifth chapter of Matthew: But I say unto you, that ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also," and proceeded from these words, to speak of the Christian patience with which we should suffer injuries, and submit to false surmises and ill usage. After the service, the malecontents met at the house of one of the party, to amuse themselves in conjecturing what their pastor would do, when he should find himself compelled to put in practice the principles he had so recently explained. What must have been their astonishment, when the door opened, and Oberlin himself stood before them. "Here am I, my friends," said he, with that calm dignity which inspires even the most violent with awe. "I am acquainted with your design. If I have violated the rules I laid down for you, punish me for it; it is better that I should deliver myself into your hands, than that you should be guilty of the meanness of an ambuscade." These simple words produced their intended effect. The peasants, ashamed of their scheme, sincerely begged his forgiveness, and promised never again to entertain a doubt of the sincerity of the mo tives by which he was actuated, and of his affectionate desires to promote their welfare. Strengthened by the advantage he had gained from this occurrence, Oberlin proceeded in his plans; and as all the roads belonging to the Ban de la Roche were impassable for the most part of the year, and the greater portion of the parish had no method of communication with the neighbouring towns, but by stepping-stones over the Bruche, which was a mountain torrent, broad and often flooded, he directed his views to open up regular channels of inHis domestic happiness being thus provided for, tercourse between Waldbach and the rest of the world, it is time to consider Oberlin carrying on his plans justly considering, that the mode of living, the intelliof usefulness in his parish, and it is here that the cha-gence and the moral character of his people, would never racter of this extraordinary man will be seen to put be permanently and efficiently improved, so long as they forth all its energy. "Confident," says the historian continued in their then insulated state. His first proof his life," that strength would be afforded if right- posal then was, to effect a communication with the ly sought, Oberlin resolved, when he entered on his high-road that led to Strasbourg; and having assembled cure, to employ all the attainments in science, phi- the people, he suggested to them, that they should blast losophy and religion, which he had brought with him the rocks, construct with the demolished masses of from Strasbourg, for the improvement of the parish, and stone, a high wall sufficient to support a road along the the benefit of the parishioners." Such was the spi- banks of the river, and build a bridge across that stream rit and the resolution with which he had taken pos- at a certain turn of the road. The peasants were oversession of the parish; and as we are about to give some whelmed with astonishment at a project which appeared details of the indefatigable exertions he made for im- to them next to an impossibility, and every one began proving the temporal condition of the people of that to make excuses, some regarding the difficulties of the place, it is necessary to state, that his first and grand undertaking, others on account of private business, some object was to preach the truth as it is in Jesus, with one thing and some another; whereupon, Oberlin, who the earnest desire, if possible, to save souls. In the was prepared for all this, exclaimed," That it was a attainment of this object, he was instant, in season work, of which all would reap the benefit, they having and out of season, in inculcating upon the minds a road and market for their produce, constant interof his parishioners the grand doctrines of the cor- course with the inhabitants of other districts, and a great ruption of human nature-the atonement of Christ increase of comforts and of the means of living both for the unerring and sanctifying influences of the spirit, and themselves and their children, and concluded by saying, the connection between faith and works. But in order "let all who feel the importance of the work, come lato convince them, that in teaching them spiritual things, bour with me." No sooner had he finished these words, he had their real welfare at heart, he sought to do than with a pickaxe on his shoulder, he proceeded to them good in matters which came home to every one's the spot, while the astonished peasants, catching a porexperience, and to shew them, that in the most common tion of his enthusiasm, forgot their objections, and ran and secular affairs of life, the grand principle of doing every one to bring their tools to work along with him. all for the glory, and in obedience to the will of God, He assigned to each individual his part, selecting for ought to be applied, as the most efficient source of in- himself and a confidential servant, the most rugged and dustry, order, and every social improvement. In this difficult places; and regardless of the thorns by which view it was, that he began every undertaking; and as his hands were torn, and the bruises he received from the object of all of them was, at much trouble and ex- the tumbling of the loose stones, he laboured with un abated energy. Every week did the pastor, who had laboured faithfully and zealously to unpress their spiritual concerns on his flock, return at the head of 260 of his people, to labour with his hands; the spirit of emulation spread, numbers of fresh workmen flocked in every succeeding day-contributions, raised through his influence in Strasbourg, and other places, poured in to enable him to pay the workmen, and defray all other expenses. Walls were raised, the course of torrents directed into new channels; and in short, incredible exertions were made, which at length were amply rewarded, and the practical wisdom of the undertaking displayed, in the safe, easy, and regular communication, opened by means of the new road and the new bridge between the five hitherto separated villages. (To be concluded in our next.) After he had drank the rum, he went and lay down to steep in the skirts of a wood, where they expected to commit the murder. In a little while, another man, who had been employed to assist in this work, came and woke him up, and said to him, it we mean to do any thing, we had better do it now.' W. accordingly rose, and they went together. When they came to their victim, Jack shot at him, and then his accomplice took the gun and beat him over the head till he was THE INFLUENCE OF RELIGION EXHIBITED❘ dead. THE following remarks by Mr Abbott, in reference to "Two persons were hung for this crime, and W. was sentenced to the State prison for a long time. The man whom they had killed was a very bad man, but, as W. afterwards said, that was no cloak for him. "When W. came to the prison, he was very igno rant. He did not know his own age accurately, and be could not read. There was, in that prison, however, a very faithful chaplain, who, knowing that the Bible alone could be the means of reforming the miserable convicts, always placed that book before them immediately. When they could not read, he used to teach them. I have been told that this course has been taken to teach them. The first lesson was the first word in the Bible—I-n. "That word is In,' the teacher would say to the prisoner in his cell. Can you see how many letters there are in it?' "Two,' the prisoner would reply, after examin "The prisons of our country may be considered as hospitals, moral hospitals; where those whose disease has become so violent and malignant that it is no longer safe to allow them to go at large in society, are shut up, so that they can injure no one, at least for a time. It has been, and it is now, the practice, in many countries, to shut up these miserable victims together, and leave them to themselves. Of course they grew worse and worse. The practice is as absurd as it would be to send a hundred patients in all the stages of fever, consump-ing it. tion, and plague, into one great crowded hospital together, with no physician, no medicine, and no attendants but turnkeys, and there to leave them; each one, by the unobstructed intercommunication, conveying his own peculiar infection to all the rest; the whole exposed to every cause that can aggravate disease, and thus forming one living mass of pestilence and corruption. Such have been a great many prisons, and those who entered them came out far worse than when they went in. "Some philanthropists formed, some years ago, the plan of visiting these prisons, and carrying the Bible there, believing that its moral power would be great enough to cure even those desperate cases of disease. And it has succeeded. A vast number of the most abandoned men have been entirely reformed by it. do not mean that they have pretended to be reformed while in the prison, but have been proved to have been reformed by their good conduct after having been restored to society, when the time of their imprisonment had expired." I The following interesting narrative affords ample ilfastration of the truth of these remarks. "There lived in one of the middle States, some years ago, a man whom I shall call W. I suppress his real name. His character was bad, and he lived with another man, whose character was worse than his own. "His employer having some quarrel with another man, wanted W to kill him. He endeavoured, for five or six months, to induce him to do it, but he did not succeed. W., however, shewed a degree of indecision about it, which encouraged his wicked employer to persevere. A good man would have refused an application like that, in such a manner, that it never would have been renewed. "The employer, however, understood his character, I "Yes,' answers the teacher. The first letter is called i; the second, n. These letters are very common in the Bible, and in all reading. See if you can find another n, anywhere on this page.' "The prisoner then would look very attentively along the lines until he found the letter required. If he made a mistake, and found an m or an r instead, the teacher would explain the difference, and call his attention more fully to the true form of the n. He would also explain the difference between the capital and small i, and shew his pupil that he must expect to find the small i, generally. He would then leave him, asking him to find as many of these letters as he could before the teacher should come again. "The next lesson would be the next word—the : and thus the pupil would go on slowly, spelling his way until he had learned to read for himself. The attempt was proposed to W., and he cominenced it, and, although considerably advanced in life, he made to little progress in his work. He soon was able to read well, and as the truths of the word of God came home to his mind, they produced their usual effects there. They led him to see his sins, and to feel them, ari they led him to come to the Saviour for pardon. His whole character was changed; but I must allow him to describe this change in his own words. These words were taken down by the same gentleman whom I have mentioned before. He visited him in prison, and, after first conversing with him in regard to the crime for which he had been committed, asked him, "W., how do this and all your other sins now appear to you?' 64 6 Very great,' said he, but this does not appear so great as all my other sins against God, cursing and swearing, and getting drunk. When I first began to reflect in my cell, I saw my sins so great, that I felt I could not be forgiven. I was sitting down one day at my work in the prison, and the chaplain came along and asked me my crime. I told him. 66 6 I looked over the psalm, and spelt it, and read it, and then put the Bible down, and tell upon my knees, and prayed. Have inercy upon me, O God: according to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my trans 'That,' said he, is one of the greatest crimes; but then you may remember David's sin, and he was for-gressions. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquities, given. Let your crime be as great as it will, pray to God, and put your trust in him, and you shall find rest to your soul.' I "He told me also, that if I could not read, he would visit me in my cell, and put me in the way. shall ever love him while God gives me breath; I shall love the chaplain, for he put me in the way to save my soul. He persuaded me to go to God, and try to find mercy, and yet, master, I had a doubt in my heart, iny sins were so heavy, whether I should be forgiven. The chaplain soon left me, and I went into my cell, and poured out my heart to God, to have mercy on me. But the more I prayed, the more miserable I grew. Heavier and heavier were my sins. 6 "The next day Mr B. came along, and I asked him to read a chapter to me. As God would have it, he turned to the 55th chapter of Isaiah. It said, Every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money, come ye, buy wine and milk without price. He read along to where the prophet says, '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. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.' 66 "I found this gave me great encouragement to go on to pray, to see if I could find relief from all my troubles, the load of sin that was on my heart. "A night or two after that the chaplain came to my cell, and asked me how I felt. I told him my sins were greater than I could bear, so guilty, so heavy. He asked me if I thought praying would make my sins any less; I gave him no answer. He soon left me, and I went again to prayer. I was almost fit to expire. In all my sorrows I had not a right sorrow. My sorrow was because I had sinned against man. "The Sunday following, just after I had carried my dinner into my cell, I put my dinner down, and I went to prayer. I rose, and just as I rose from my prayer, the chaplain was at the door. We are all guilty creatures,' he said to me, and we cannot be saved, except God, for Christ's sake, will save us. If we pray and go to God, we must go in the name of Jesus Christ; if we expect to be saved, we must be saved through the blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ.' Then I picked up encouragement. "The sins which you have committed,' he went on, are against your fellow-creatures, but they are much more against God.' Now, I never knew before that they were against God. When the chaplain left me, I went to prayer again. I could eat nothing that day. I did not eat a mouthful. and cleanse me from my sins; for my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight; that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and clear when thou judgest.' "When I came to the words, Deliver me from blood-guiltiness,' I was struck dumb. I could not say any more at that time. I fell upon my knees, and prayed to God to have mercy upon me for Christ's sake. But I only grew more and more miserable. The load of my sins was heavier and heavier. "All that I had ever done came plain and open in my sight, and I was led to see that I must perish; there was no help for me; all my sin was upon my own head.' "Such is the miserable criminal's account of the suffering to which he was brought, by the sense of guilt which the Bible was the means of fastening upon his soul. He continued in this state for some time, until at last, as he himself describes it, one day when he was praying in his cell, his burden of guilt was removed. He felt that he might hope for pardon through Jesus Christ. The relief which this feeling brought over his mind seems to have been almost indescribable. Every thing wore a new aspect; even the gloomy prison seemed a cheerful and happy place. His expressions of joy would appear almost extravagant to any person, not sufficiently acquainted with the human mind to understand how the whole aspect of external objects will be controlled by the emotions which reign in the heart. W. concluded his narration in these words. 666 And ever since that, master, this place, where I have been confined, has been to me more like a palace than a prison; every thing goes agreeable. find I have a deceitful heart, but Jesus tells me, if I lack knowledge, he will always lend, if I cast my care on Jesus, and not forget to pray. It is my prayer morning and evening that I may hold out. If I die here, let me die, Lord, in thine arms. I have great reason to bless this institution, and every stone in it.' "Now, although it is not very common to obtain, in writing, aceounts of changes of character among convicts, so full and minute as this, yet the cases themselves are common; so common, that where a prison is regulated in such a manner that the prisoners are not exposed to evil influence from each other, and the Bible has the opportunity to try its power, the whole aspect of the prison is changed." To shew still further the power of religious instruction over the minds of even the worthless inmates of a prison, we may select from the same writer, an account of a SABBATH SCHOOL in the prison at Charlestown, Massachusetts. "When we came up to the iron door in the front of the building, we found several gentlemen who had come over from Boston to act as teachers in the Sabbath school, waiting there for admission. "When all the prisoners had gone into the chapel, the outer door was opened by a keeper, and we all passed in; the heavy door was swung-to behind us, and its strong bolt secured. We turned from the entry 66 6 I recollected at that time that a minister had told me, whenever I had a chapter read, to have the 51st Psalm. I could not see any body to get to read it, and how to find it I did not know; and the Sunday following, before the keeper unlocked the door, I rose up and went to prayer, and I prayed, O Lord, thou knowest I am ignorant, brought up in ignorance. Thou know-into that end of the building which was used as a est my bringing up. Nothing is too hard for thee to do. May it please thee, O Lord, to shew me that chapter, that I may read it with understanding.' I rose from prayer, and went to my Bible, and took it up. I began the first psalin, and turned over and counted every psalm, and it appeared to me that God was with me, and I counted right to the 51st psalm. I could read a little, and I began to spell H-a-v-e m-e-r-c-y, chapel. There was an aisle passing up the centre, on cach side of which were seats half filled with the convicts. The chaplain stood in a pulpit at the further end, and on each side of him were the teachers, gentlemen from Boston, who had come to assist these unhappy men to read and to understand the word of God. "The congregation presented a singular and striking appearance. Had it not been for their dress, I might |