LET HIM THAT THINKETH HE STANDETH TAKE HEED LEST HE FALL." In the beginning of Queen Mary's reign, the Rev. Lawrence Saunders, a faithful minister, and Dr. Pendleton, a man of learning and seeming zeal in preaching the Gospel, were conversing on the times, and the proba bility of a very severe persecution. Mr. Saunders appeared weak in faith, and very fearful be should not remain sted fast; but Pendleton, with an air of courage and zeal, said, "Why, there is much more cause for me to fear than you; yet I will see the last drop of my blood melt away before I will forsake Jesus Christ and his truth, which I have professed." It was not long after that they were both put to the trial, when poor, feeble, faint hearted Saunders, always jealous of himself, by the power of divine grace, sealed the truth with his blood, and endured his torments with the utmost fortitude; and proud, self-sufficient Pendleton fell away, and turned Papist. So true it is that the most confident in themselves are the nearest to apostacy; and that nothing can support the soul in trials, and carry it happily through them, but the omnipotent grace of an Almighty Redeemer. -Middleton's Biographia Evangelica. EXTRACTS FROM REV. W. HOWELL'S REMAINS. 1 Cor. v. 10. "Then must ye needs go out of the world!" We cannot altogether withdraw ourselves from the necessary avocations of life; and these will frequently bring us into company with the wicked; but still the rule laid down by the apostle can be adhered to, and by every child of God will be adhered to; all that is here required of us is not to seek their society, nor at any time to mingle unnecessarily with them. We do not run into the rain to amuse ourselves, but hurry out as we can; or if we are at any time obliged to go into it, we shelter ourselves with a great coat and an umbrella. Clothe yourselves with the garment of Christ's righteousness, and it will shelter you from many a wound. of it as fast When in heaven, we shall have a retrospective view of our path thither; then we shall behold a thousand mercies we can not now see, and glorify and praise the Lord for a thousand providential interferences at which we now repine. The single, solitary fall of one believer, is more injurious to the interests of vital religion, than the profligate lives of ten thousand who know not God. My young friends, attend particularly to these words: "Go from the presence of a foolish man, when thou perceivest not in him the lips of knowledge." Prov. xiv. 7. Have no communication with an ungodly world, but what is unavoidable: some you must have, none can deny that; but as you prize your own souls as you value your eternal hopes, have no unnecessary intercourse with such as know not the Lord Jesus. We are always injured or benefitted by every society we commune with. It is a natural propensity inherent in man to be unceasingly desirous of engraving his own image on the heart of every one he associates with, and of delineating his own mind on the mind of his companions. Psalm cxliv. In all this list of national blessings, the state of youth is the most prominent. Youth is the fittest season to remove the plant from the field of nature into the garden of grace. Females are the cement of society; as corner-stones are those that bind and link the walls together. As ornaments also, not only corner-stones, but polished corner-stones. What should these ornaments be? Not broidered hair, &c., but good works, becoming women professing godliness,-even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit. Creation teems with the love of God; and the boundless face of nature is but one closely written page, describing the excellence of His glory who is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working. The devil's clock is ever too fast or too slow. To the young he saith, "Rejoice in your lusts and passions; gulp down the pleasures of this life; it is time enough." The older he endeavours to drive to despair, saying: "The door of mercy is shut; it is too late; there is now no hope." Heb. x. 23. "Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering, for he is faithful that promised." A friend related to me, a few days ago, an anecdote of a poor girl who was asked, when at the point of death, what she thought of Jesus? "Jesus! (said she) I cleave to him as the limpets to the rocks." Excellent girl! from my heart I love thee! Cleave to Jesus, my friends, in spite of all. Ocean with its storms, hurling its destructive fury around, causes the limpets only to cleave the more closely. Let men bring forward all the logic of hell to prevent your close adherence to Christ, tell them at once they are all so many occasions why you should cleave to the Saviour, and boldly confess him, that he may confess you in the presence of his Father and of the holy angels above. Never oppose your own unworthiness to the worth and power of Deity, for all his perfections are engaged to raise fallen man from a death in sin to a life of righteousness. URGENT DUTY OF ENLARGED LIBERALITY. I will tell you what I witnessed, the other day, at a meeting in the country. We had a very interesting meeting during the day, and it fell to my lot to occupy the pulpit in the evening. After the meeting dispersed, I stepped into a neighbouring house. I was sitting there quite alone, until a man, without ceremony, opened the door, and looked at me so steadily, and with an expression of so much solicitude, that I became quite alarmed. At last I said, "What is the matter?" "Matter, matter! I'm none satisfied about this."-" About what?" Why, about this business." "What business?" "Why, the condition of those poor creatures-those poor Heathens. I have been a mile on the road: it is very dark and very dirty: I was thinking about all you and the others had been telling us;-and surely you would not tells us what was not true.' "God forbid that we should! The whole that we told you was truth; and we might have told you much more." "Well," said he, "I gave a shilling; and I thought that was pretty well for a man in my situation. I left the meeting, and got a mile on the road; but thinking on these things, I thought, that if I went home having given only my shilling, I might have no peace: I was, therefore, like to come back again:" and taking a sovereign out of his pocket, and laying it before me, the man's countenance brightened up, and he began to smile, and said, "Ye're like to take it:" and then shaking hands with me, as if he felt he were at peace with me, and at peace with his own conscience, away he walked, caring nothing about the dark night and the dirty road which he had to travel over again. Now I have really too much respect for this large assembly, after you have been so long occupied here to-day, to wish that any one of you should have to come back again to-night. I should be sorry to see any one of the faces, which I have looked at to-day with so much pleasure, appear like that man's face, when he came back and first entered the room where I was sitting. I hope that will not be the case. You will all know what use to make of the fact which I have just stated. I hope each will do his duty before the Lord this day, without travelling the ground three times over. I have received a note from an unknown friend, a gentleman in business, who tells me, that such is the impression of our cause, that he is resolved from this day forward to lay aside a certain per centage upon his income. Providence has blessed him with some property, and Providence may bless him with more. I know well, that my excellent friend and neighbour, Isaac Crowther, Esq., whose donation of 1000l. I now hold in my hand, would not have allowed his name to be mentioned here to-day, or elsewhere, but from the hope that his example might be followed. There are gentlemen on whom Providence is smiling; there are gentlemen into whose lap Providence is pouring abundance; and Mr. Crowther's conviction is, that they do not give so fully as the Lord prospers them. He thinks that they ought to do more than they really do: hence the munificent donation which I hold in my hand; and my earnest hope is, that many will be led to follow his noble example. As my friend, Mr. Heald, said, we cannot stand where we are: we must go on: we must have an advance: we must increase. And I tell you, that the eyes of tens of thousands are looking up to this great meeting to-day. I know of instances, not a few, where there have been 20., 30l., 50l., 150l, collected at the recent Anniversary Meetings ABOVE the collections at the same places last year and surely London will not disgrace herself, but will set an example worthy of the imitation of the whole connexion.—Rev. Rob. Newton-at Wesleyan Miss, Soc. Ann. CONTRAST OF FORMER SCARCITY AND PRESENT ABUNDANCE OF BIBLES. About 1500 years ago, the Emperor Constantine addressed a letter, which is preserved by Eusebius in his life of that Emperor. It was addressed, indeed, to Eusebius himself, and required him to select some well-qualified scribes, and employ them in preparing, elegantly written and handsomely put together, fifty copies of the sacred writings, of which the Emperor speaks with great reverence. The word which he uses leads us to suppose, that they were to be made portable copies; for he speaks of the grouping together of the parchments into three or four, making what we should call quarto or octavo volumes so that this mode was then come into use. These fifty copies were to be completed and brought to the Emperor: and it appears, from a single sentence in the letter, that they were intended to be placed in Churches. Now, though we cannot but admire the munificence and apparently pious spirit which dictated that command, how ought it to excite our thankfulness, that we live in a different day, and see different things! Every one of us would have joined in thanks to the Emperor, for his care for the instruction of a part of his subjects; but what thanks do we not owe, under God, to those who conduct your affairs, that now, if I am not greatly in error, about as many copies go forth, from your central depôt, in every twenty minutes of time throughout the year;-as many copies issue from your centre, to go into the world every twenty minutes, as the Head of the Roman Empire, with all this expense and munificence, was able to provide for a part of his subjects!-Speech at Br. and For. Bib. Soc. An. LUKE Xxiii. 42. "Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.” Homerton. O Lord! in love remember me ! In health, or sickness, joy, or care, Or at the grave and gate of death, Amidst all trial and distress, Amidst the flow of prosperous days— In times of holy joy and praise. I may forget, for I am frail; But though thou dwell not in my thought, Let not to me thy mercy fail, O Lord! in love forget me not: Thou art my hope, and thou alone: JAMES EDMESTON. JOHN i. 4. Saviour! my harp may sleep, but not my heart, |