vain. Sabbath morning came, and I could think of nothing; time of service drew on, and, in fact, I went to meeting, unable to fix my mind on any text. I went into the pulpit -they sang-I prayed: still as unable to say what I should preach from as any of my hearers. During the second singing, I opened the Bible almost in despair; a passage struck me I was carried through. On reaching my room, I threw myself on my knees, covered with shame and confusion. From that day I resolved to 'grind when the wind blew.' Since that time, whenever a text opens itself to my mind, I note it down; and I have perhaps hundreds of sketches I never used, and never may. Preaching I consider to be my special business; and having been enabled to keep this in view, everything turns to sermons. Whether in company, travelling, walking in the fields, or whatever incidents arise, I find all bring the Word of God to my mind; and turn to some account in reference to my work."

souls, and with little success in their work. Finding themselves poor in materials for their work, they preach but seldom, and fear a bankruptcy. Frequent preaching, they imagine, will exhaust their little stock. I will lay before you the plan on which I have acted, which has supplied me with three sermons on the Lord's day, and two or three in week days, as occasion required; and also afforded me two hundred subjects which I have never yet preached; and remember, that my wants have been supplied for more than thirty years. Whenever a text of Scripture has opened to my mind, at home or abroad, I have immediately taken pen or paper, divided the text, and produced the subject as far as I could on that occasion. I then placed the paper in an old book, in its proper place, which I divided with a few leaves between Genesis, Exodus, Numbers, and the other books of Scripture. If the text was in Genesis, I put the skeleton among those in that book, and so arranged the rest. If the text was in Matthew, I placed it in that parcel which contained sub

Maidenhead, 1812.

"MY DEAR FRIEND,- No one thing is more important to a minister of the Gospel, than to be furnished with suitable subjects for the pulpit. This, in a diligent use of means, must be sought in a spirit of dependence on God. The omission of this duty occasions many ministers to 'suffer loss,' and preach the sermons of others, without a savour of the knowledge of Christ' in their own

time the subject occurred again, I took out the skeleton, and clothed it as new ideas presented themselves on the subject, and returned it to its place. When a subject in John, for instance, was presented to me, I turned to my old book, which contained subjects on John's Gospel, to see if I had any paper on the text, which very frequently happened. Finding materials ready, I was greatly assisted-my subject was half or three-parts studied, perhaps,

of wisdom; for Solomon remarks, that 'Wise men lay up knowledge.' "Some time since, the words of David impressed my mind, 'Lord, open thou my eyes,' that I may behold the wondrous things in thy law.' After I had suffered my thoughts to run out on paper, as long as the spring flowed, I turned to my old book, and looking over the texts in the Psalms, which I had laid up, with previous meditations on them, I found this text among them, which I had studied ten years before at an inn on my way to London; adding the last reflections to the former, I formed a sermon and preached it. Before this plan was suggested to me, I was frequently at a loss, and pushed hard on the Saturday for suitable subjects for the Sabbath. found that passages occurred on a Monday, and I postponed the consideration of them till Thursday or Friday; but when I sat down to study them, they were sealed up: the lively savour, the deep impressions were gone; and I could not revive them. This taught me that

I

and saying to myself, this will suit such a particular occasion, I laid it up; but it proved like the manna, which by keeping lost its pleasant and nourishing qualities. This distrust punished itself by painful disappointment; and observing that my hearers generally feel the subject in proportion as I feel it, I have endeavoured to preach from my heart to their heart. Often have I heard sermons well arranged and well expressed, but one thing was wanting-the preacher did not put his heart into the sermon, and therefore did not put the sermon into my heart. The sermon was like a frosty night, 'cold and clear.' If, therefore, as ministers, we would live in the Spirit, walk in the Spirit, study, preach, and pray in the Spirit, we must not quench the Spirit in his gifts and graces, but cherish and follow his operations, 'in season and out of season;' for 'it is the Spirit that quickeneth.'

OF LIFE.

THE following rules, from the papers of Dr. West, are thrown together as general way-marks in the journey of life:

"A second important rule was suggested by experience, always to preach on that subject which was laid on my mind with the greatest power. For the first year of my ministry, I often felt a text laid on

Never ridicule sacred things, or what others may esteem as such, however absurd they may appear to you.

Never show levity when the people are engaged at worship.

Never to resent a supposed injury till I know the views and motives of the author of it. On no occasion to relate it.

Always to take the part of an absent person who is censured in com

Never to think worse of another, on account of his differing from me in political and religious subjects. Not to dispute with a man who is more than seventy years of age, nor with any enthusiast.

Not to affect to be witty, or to jest

me.

To aim at cheerfulness, without levity.

Never to court the favour of the rich, by flattering either their vanities or their vices.

tate.

THE CHARM OF CLEANLI

NESS.

A white-yellow cravat or shirt on a man speaks at once the character of his wife; and be assured that she will not take with your dress pains which she has never taken with her own. Then the manner of putting on the dress is no bad foundation for judging--if it be carelessly, slovenly, or if it do not properly fit. No matter for its mean quality; mean as it may be it may be neatly and trimly put on; and if it be not, take care of yourself, for, as you will soon find to your cost, a sloven in one thing is a sloven in all things. The countrypeople judge greatly from the state of the covering of the ankles; and if it be not clean and tight, they conclude that all out of sight is not as it ought to be. Look at the shoes; if they be trodden on one side, loose on the foot, or run down at the heel, it is a very bad sign; and as to slipshod, though at coming down in the morning, and even before daylight, make up your mind to anything rather than live with a slipshod wife. Oh! how much do women lose by inattention to these matters! Men in general say nothing about it to their wives; but they think about it; they envy their luckier neighbours; and in numerous cases consequences the most serious arise from this apparently trifling cause. Beauty is valuable; it is one of the ties, and a strong tie too: that, however, cannot last to an old age; but the charm of cleanliness never ends but with life itself.

FACTS IN HUMAN LIFE. The number of languages spoken in the world amounts to 8,064; 587 in Europe, 896 in Asia, 276 in Africa, and 1,264 in America. The number of men is about equal to the number of women. The average of human life is about 28 years. One quarter die previous to the age of 7 years; one half before reaching 17; and those who pass this age enjoy a felicity refused to one-half the human species. To every 1,000 persons, only one reaches 100 years of life; to every 100, only 6 reach the age of 65; and not more than 1 in 500 lives to 80 years of age. Say that there are on the earth 1000,000,000 inhabitants, of these 33,333,333 die every year, 91,334 every day, 3,780 every hour, and 60 every minute, or 1 every second. These losses are about balanced by an equal number of births. The married are longerlived than the single; and above all, those who observe a sober and industrious conduct. Tall men live longer than short ones. Women have more chances of life in their favour previous to being 50 years of age, than men have, but fewer afterwards. The number of marriages is in proportion of 75 to every 1,000 individuals. Marriages are more frequent after the equinoxes; that is, during the months of June and December. Those born in the spring are generally more robust than others. Births and deaths are more frequent by night than by day. The number of men capable of bearing arms is one-fourth of the population.

recalling to his mind the happy days | he had passed with his dear father, and he cried again. He could not get on, but sobbed aloud. "What is the matter, my boy?" said the teacher. "Oh! Mr. I cannot write this copy; my father is dead! Please give me another page, and cut this leaf out. I cannot write it." I hope you continue to keep up your reading habits: this is of very great importance. You may sometimes be placed in circumstances where you will have no company worth keeping, or that you can safely take up with; but you never can be placed where you cannot carry with you a good book. I have lately been reading a very nice one, containing many curious things about the black people in Africa. It was written by the Rev. J. J. Freeman, whom you recollect hearing at B when he made a speech about Jeru. salem. In his book I found the following account of catching lions: "Mr. Lemue, who formerly resided at Motito, and is familiar with the Kalliharri country, assured me that the remarkable accounts sometimes circulated as to the people of that part of Africa catching lions by the tail, and of which, I confess, I was very incredulous, were perfectly true. He well knows that the method prevailed and was certainly not uncommon among the people. Lions would sometimes become extremely dangerous. Having become accustomed to human flesh, they would not willingly eat anything else. When a neighbourhood became infested, the men would determine on the measures to be adopted to rid themselves of the nuisance; then forming themselves into a band, they would proceed in search of their royal foe, and beard the lion in his lair. Standing close by one another, the lion would make his spring on some one of the party,-every man, of course, hoping he might escape the attack; when instantly others would dash forward and seize his tail, lifting it up close to the body with all their might,-thus not only astonishing the animal, and absolutely taking him off his guard, but

THE IDOL'S HOUSE. I see a graven work of stone,

An image strange and grim! The idol's house is dark and lone,

The woods around are dim.

And on the pavement there is blood,
The blood of living things;
Yet to the temple in the wood
A child its offering brings.
Mother and child are kneeling there,
With spices and with flowers,
To stone, that cannot hear their prayer,
Though it should last for hours.
Be thankful, little child, that thou

Art better taught than these;
That night and morning thou canst bow
To God, who hears and sees.
And sorrow for the little one

In countries far away,

Who goes, beneath the burning sun,

To graven stone to pray.

You recollect my explaining to you, one afternoon, the case of the scape-goat given in the Scriptures. I have since met with an account from the East Indies, of a very curious nature, which shows that the same idea, by some means, has found its way amongst the poor Hindoos. A British officer gives the following statement:

"Our small camp consisted only of my own regiment and a detachment of native foot artillery; and we had been for some weeks marching through the jungle districts, when we found we had a worse enemy than either Coles or Chavars amongst us, for that mysterious disease, the cholera, broke out in