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subject for a paper. Of what consequence is it to the cause of Christ that such a poor reptile as myself should have acknowledged him before other worms of the dust like myself. I feel humbled and startled at such an annunciation. It will call the eyes of a hypercritical and malignant world upon me, and, I fear, tend more to tarnish than to advance the cause."

In another part of the letter he writes: "I long for more fervor in prayer-for more of the love and Spirit of God shed abroad in my heart-for more of his presence throughout the day-for a firmer anchorage in Christ, to keep this heart of mine and its affections from tossing to and fro on the waves of this world and the things of time and sense-for a brighter and a stronger faith-and some assurance of my Savior's acceptance and love. I feel as if he could not love me that I am utterly unworthy of his love-that I have not one loveable point or quality about me-but that, on the contrary, he must still regard me as an alien to his kingdom and a stranger to his love. But, with the blessing of God, I will persevere in seeking him, relying on his promise, that if I come to him, he will in no wise cast me off."

It may not be uninteresting to mention that the favorite religious authors of Mr. W. were Watts and Jay. More recently he became acquainted with the writings of Flavel, and the subject of the last

conversation I had with him was Flavel's "Saint Indeed," which he had just been reading with great interest.

20. Traveling on the Sabbath.

How few men act from principle! How few have any rule, by which they uniformly regulate their conduct! Fewer still act from christian principle— regard a rule derived from revelation. It makes. my very heart bleed to think how few, even of civi lized and evangelized men, regard divine authority. And yet it is the disregard of this which constitutes the sinner and the rebel. Some disregard one expression of it, and some another. He who, whatever respect he may profess for God, practically disre gards any expression of divine authority, is a re volter-a rebel; is up in heart, if not in arms, against God; is engaged in a controversy with Jehovah.

What has let me into this train of reflection, is the general disregard that I observe with respect to the sanctification of the Sabbath. He who made us, and who, by constantly preserving us, when otherwise we should relapse into non-existence, may be said to be continually renewing the creation of us, and has

beyond all question a right to control us, did long ago, from Sinai, distinctly express his will with regard to the manner in which the seventh portion of time should be spent, and how it should be disinguished from the other six portions. He reminded his creatures of it, and declared it to be his will that it should be kept holy; that six days we should labor, and therein do all our work, leaving none of it to be done on the seventh, because the seventh is the Sabbath of the Lord our God. It is his rest, and therefore should be ours also. In it he has signified it to be his will that we should not do any work; neither we, nor those who are subject to us as children or as servants, nor even those transiently domesticated with us, the strangers within our gates. Nor should man alone rest, but the beast also. Then he condescends to give a reason for this enactment, in which all mankind, whenever and wherever they live, are equally interested-a reason which was valid from the creation of the world, and will hold good as long as the world lasts; "for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day; wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it."

Now, God has never revoked this expression of his will. He has never repealed this law. If he has, when did he it, and where is the record of its repeal? He has not taken off the blessing which he laid on

the Sabbath. He has not obliterated the distinction which he put on the seventh portion of time. He has not said, "You need no longer remember the Sabbath to keep it holy-seven days you may labor

my example of six days of work, followed by one of cessation and rest, you may now cease to imitate." He has not said any thing like it. The law is in force therefore even until now.

Well, here is the law of God, with the reason of it. Now for the practice of men. How poorly they compare! There are indeed few who do not remember the Sabbath day, and in some manner distinguish it from the other days of the week. But the law is, that they should remember it to keep it holy; that they should distinguish it by hallowing it as a day of rest. This they do not. They keep it no more holy than any other day, though they do differently on that day from what they do on others. They do not the same work on that day which they do on the other days, but they do some work. Such as necessity requires, and such as mercy dictates, they may do. The law of nature teaches that, and the example of the Lord of the Sabbath sanctions and confirms the lesson. But they do other work than such as these call them to. The Sabbath is with them as secular a day as any other, though the manner of their worldliness on that day may be unlike what it is on the other days. What is more purely secular than visiting and traveling, yet what more

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common on the day which the Lord has blessed and hallowed? These, I know, are not considered as falling under the denomination of work, but they do fall under it. They are as certainly included among the things forbidden to be done on the Sabbath, as are ploughing and sowing. The former are no more sacred-no less secular than are the latter.

I have been struck with the indiscriminate manner in which travelers use the seven days of the week. One would suppose that the law had made an exception in favor of traveling-forbidding every other species of secular employment on the day of rest, but allowing men to journey on it. They that would not do any other labor on the Sabbath, will nevertheless without compunction travel on that day. The farmer, who would not toil in his field; the merchant, who would not sell an article out of his store; the mechanic, who would not labor at his trade; and the mistress of the family, who scrupulously avoids certain household occupations on the Sabbath, will yet all of them, without any relentings, travel on the Sabbath, and that whether the object of their journey be business or pleasure. It makes no difference. They would not on the Sabbath do other work appropriate to the six days. That would shock them. But to commence, continue, or finish a journey on the Sabbath, offends not their consciences in the least. I am acquainted with many persons who would not for the world travel to a place on Sa

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