with myself. On Sabbath evenings sometimes, when left alone, I often felt a kind of low-melancholy draw itself over my mind, without being able to assign a reason why this should be so. The reason, however, is obvious. The want of my customary occupations left a vacuum of its own kind, and which necessarily revolted at the holy rest and Christian duties of the Sabbath. Its silence I often experienced to be a weariness. My Bible was seldom, I might almost in truth say, never perused. Sermons indeed I sometimes heard, and these in general were evangelical; for of this I was able to judge, and would upon no account make a practice of hearing those of a contrary character: but then I heard them, as I believe the world in general hears the word, without making any personal application. The death of an acquaintance, especially when of my own standing in life, was almost the only thing which would affect me seriously; and many a time have I reflected in secret upon what might now be the state of their souls, if they had undergone no previous change; for I knew that mine, in such circumstances of separation from the body, would, in its then unchanged condition, be eternally miserable. But ah! fatal delusion, under the influence of which, it is to be feared, thousands are ruined; my fears commonly subsided, with a selfish congratulation, that yet I was spared.' Still I considered the terms hard upon which the gospel invited me to take comfort; and the state of my mind afforded a clear illustration of what our Saviour meant, when he said, "Ye will not come to me that ye may have life." My views about this time began to be directed towards the army. War had not yet ceased to spread its devastations over the Continent of Europe; and the terrific glitter of a sword sheathed in human blood, was to me a favourable omen that my application, through the proper channel of interest and power, should not be without success. I succeeded so far, but felt disappointed that the only terms upon which I could possibly be received ensured me of no permanency in my situation. The attractions of novelty, variety of scene and company. gave me some encouragement however, and I proceeded agreeably to orders to my appointed station. I was accompanied by young men from the three different parts of the kingdom, who had a similar destination, and the like duties to perform, as myself; and from what passed on our journey, it was easy to see what were the characters, and what the dispositions, of some of those with whom I was now to look upon myself, for a time at least, associated. They were all strangers to me, with the exception of one; but upon our arrival, when we found that we had all to live together as the members of one common family, reserve wore off by degrees, and we soon contracted the habits of familiarity and friendship. The duties of my new situation were

at the first not a little irksome, from various causes; but the frivolous amusements and frothy conversation in which our party indulged themselves in the evening, rendered my station at this place a source of satisfaction. If I were at this moment convinced that my then enjoyments were real, I would be able to look back upon the whole with regret that they have so suddenly vanished as a dream; but alas! that dream is but too certain a reality, and the sources from whence my pleasures were drawn, I am now for ever to look back upon with the most poignant sorrow. I have no desire for the return of such days, in which my enjoyments abounded, as the wickedness of myself and companions was upon the increase.

We e were surrounded with the sick and the dying; and judgment and eternity ought therefore to have been subjects passing continually through our minds. But with those scenes which surrounded us we became familiar, in a way not at all calculated to make serious impressions, and their solemn effect was lost entirely upon us. I have even known the convulsive, though inefficient struggles of the body to retain its departing spirit, excite the loudest laughter, instead of sympathy, in some of my companions; and the consideration that our own hearts are cast into the same natural mould with those who could thus sport with the awful feelings of the dying, is ready to make us weep at human infatuation, and pity such inconsiderate beings. That awful moment is hastening on when the dying struggle must be experienced by all, and let the conscience of the sinner tell the truth, and say, will he not then be serious? An event of this nature I was called upon to review about this time, but under very different feelings, hardened as my mind then was. A stout young man who, to all appearance, was fast approaching to a state of convalescence, being disturbed in his sleep one day by some noise without, awoke; and, under the violent irritation of being so suddenly discomposed, uttered some dreadful imprecations against the cause of his disturbance. The thing passed with only a slight observation, because I was among others; but I remember it still. Next morning he appeared pale and emaciated. His wound, situated in the thigh, was seen clotted with blood, and told us at once the cause. While he had been asleep, and unconscious of danger, a blood vessel had ruptured, and during the night had been exhausting him of the stream of life. I caught but one glimpse of his countenance, which but too plainly indicated that his life was fast" ebbing to its fountain;" but before I got another, the soul had begun to take its flight. The character of the man, so plainly evinced by his language on the preceding day; the state upon which he had now entered; the dread tribunal before which he had to stand, and where I myself was sooner or later to follow him-produ

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ced emotions in my mind which may be more easily conceived than described. How uncertain is human existence ! The seeds of death and life are sown together in the human frame, and upon the fairest form is inscribed the humiliating motto, Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return." But " after death cometh the judgment;" and how will the sinner, with all his guilt unrepented of, be able to behold his Judge! O that the swearer and the drunkard would but reflect that they may be suddenly called into his presence, as in the above instance, at the very moment when the oath, or the cup of sinful pleassure, is yet hanging upon their lips.

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The amusements with which we commonly concluded the day were of the most pernicious kind :—I allude to gambling. Four or five hours were generally spent every night in this employment. There is no evil without its ruinous tendencies; but gaming is perhaps the worst of all. It engrosses the whole attention; the mind is buoyed up with the most ardent hope of success; and be the expected gain ever so small, disappointment is always magnified in feeling far beyond the real merits of the case. At least, so it was with us. The stake indeed was purposely made small, that the losing consequences might be less grievously felt. But then there was room left for speculation; and when advantage was taken of this circumstance, as it too often was, disappointment only became the more intolerable. I have seen joy diffused over the countenance of one, while, at the same time, it was easy to see through the same medium, that the most direful feelings of rage and jealousy were rankling in the bosom of another; and these it was not possible at all times to suppress. The most bitter invectives were often poured forth against the poor cards; yet such is their seducing quality, as an instrument of Satan, that none could be brought to carry into effect the resolution so often formed" that they should deceive him no more." It is almost needless to say, that knavery was often concealed under the name of "good luck :" but if at any time the real cause was discovered upon the back of a card, none were observed to deny it more stoutly, or to exclaim with greater vehemence against its unfairness, than he who was privy to the fraud. Such were the pleasures and the occupations in which, more or less, I had my own share; and which, in more ways than one, prove the ruin of thousands. I speak not with regard to pecuniary loss, but what is more unspeakable in value,the extinction of morals and religious impression. Swearing, stealing, the low tricks of knavery, lying, and a most profuse expenditure of valuable time, are all the immediate consequences of gambling, in every shape, and under whatever name it is imposed upon mankind.-1 shall crave your indulgence, with

that of your readers, for the rest of my history, to be left for some succeeding number of your work; and, in the meantime, I remain, Gentlemen, yours, &c.

JACOBUS.

HINTS WITH respect to ▲ BIBLE SOCIETY, PARTICULARLY PENNY A-WEEK ONES.

In a conviction of the propriety and importance of endeavouring to put the Holy Scriptures into the hands of all nations in their vernacular tongue, all who believe in their divine origin must be agreed. It is the design of God to deliver mankind from ignorance and guilt, moral degradation, and physical wretchedness; and the revelation of his will contained in the Bible, is the grand instrument, in the order of means, by which this design is to be accomplished-all the kings of the earth are to praise God, when they hear the words of his mouth. The mystery which was kept secret from the foundation of the world is now made manifest, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, is to be made known to all nations for the obedience of faith.

This instrument has hitherto been but very partially employed. If the inhabited world be divided into thirty parts, nineteen of these are Pagans, six of them are Mahometans and Jews, among whom the Scriptures are almost completely unknown: and as to the remaining five which are nominally Christians, it is making a liberal allowance indeed to say, that a twentieth part of them are possessed of Bibles. To descend to particulars-In India there are 900,000 Christians, many of whom aré rapidly relapsing into idolatry for want of Bibles. It is computed, that there are 200,000 Christians who speak the Persic language, yet there is no version of the Scriptures in the modern dialect of that tongue. It is stated, that in the United States, one fourth of the families are destitute of Bibles. In Livonia, there are not to be found 200 New Testaments in a population of 106,000. In Ireland, previous to the commencement of the operation of Bible Societies, it is stated by a person who speaks from general knowledge of that country, that you might have travelled from one extremity of the kingdom to the other, and (avoiding the chief towns) visit every cabin in your way, without finding perhaps 300 perfect Bibles among 8,000,000 of people. In one district of London, it has been found on examination, that out of 611 families, 335 were destitute of Bibles, after the British and Foreign Bible Society had been in active operation for eight years. In the Highlands of

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our own country, few, very few families comparatively, possess the Bible. These are but a specimen of the facts furnished by the Reports of the British and Foreign Bible Society, in proof of the want of Bibles.

The objection which has so often been urged against the Bible Society, from the comparatively small portion of mankind who are able to read, is founded on ignorance. The number of those who are possessed of this acquirement, both on the Continent of Europe and in Asia, has been prodigiously underrated. It appears from accurate inquiry, that the number of such persons, who are in want of Bibles, is far greater than the Bible Society, though it were continuing to aet on the same great scale on which it at present conducts its operations, could supply for a long course of years. This description of persons, is rapidly increasing in England and Ireland; and it is certainly worthy of remark, that a Society has lately been established * under the highest patronage, which has for its object the universal education of mankind.

In order to obtain an object so truly important, desirable, and necessary, as the universal diffusion of the Holy Scriptures, the united exertions of all Christians are requisite, and by the divine blessing, the united exertions of all Christians are abundantly adequate. It is one of the best characteristic features of the age in which we live, that the sphere of usefulness is, in the case even of the humblest individual, almost indefinitely enlarged. What but a few years ago would have sounded like the ravings of delirium, is now plain fact-sober truth—a few Christians in the lowest ranks of life, in a remote district of the country, may essentially contribute to the Christianization of the world. The formation of Penny a week Associations, is one of the happiest which could have been devised, for bringing the energies of the Christian world in general, to bear on the great and good work of the universal diffusion of divine truth. The following facts in reference to these institutions deserve notice: Five hundred persons in a parish subscribing at the rate of a penny a-week, will raise annually something more than one hundred pounds. There are nine hundred parishes in Scotland; were there in each of these an association, consisting at an average of five hundred members, our comparatively small and poor part of the island would contribute more than ninety thousand pounds a-year for the diffusion of the sacred Scriptures.

It has been remarked, that great effects may be produced by small contributions. The contribution of an individual to the State is but small, yet the union of these contributions forms the prodigious revenue of the British empire. A ray of light

* The British and Foreign School Society.