Counsels to one under the loss of her husband.

Bala, Feb. 18, 1805. "The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord,"—this, I trust, is in some degree the language of your heart under the present trying dispensation. You know I love you, and must therefore feel for you, and pray for you: but still I cannot but feel comfortable respecting you and your little ones. My dear friend, your late husband is at rest. His troubles and sorrows are at an end forever. Therefore we ought not to sorrow for him, though we may feel sorrow after him. We have a hope respecting him, and therefore we rejoice. As to you and your little ones, you are surely well provided for, being in the care of him, "who is the Father of the fatherless, and a Judge of the widows, in his holy habitation." I trust that the Lord will, through this heavy dispensation towards you, bring you to live more thoroughly dependant on him by faith. I feel concerned for you in this respect. I much wish you may be effectually brought to a strong ground, to live on the promises of God in Christ. In that case you will not have much to care for, but to follow daily the path of duty by the leadings of God's providence, wholly dependant on him who is our strength, and has promised to lead and instruct us in the way we should go and guide us with his eye. Ps. xxxii. 8. He is enough for us in every situation, and all helps are vain without him. Have much to do with hin daily. You cannot go to him too often, or trust him too much. You will need him every day, and you are welcome to him every day and every minute of the day. He hath done great things for us; and shall we not believe, my dear friend, that he will do all things

well towards us? "He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him freely give us all things? Anticipate no future events. These anticipations are generally the fruits of our unbelief and worldly-mindedness. "Commit your way to the Lord;" trust also in him, and “he will bring it to pass." He will order and will do every thing for you. "There is none besides the Lord; and there is no rock like our God." Friends are nothing; enemies are nothing;-God is all.

"Be not over-anxious for your babes. In the strength of the Lord do your duty towards them. Pray for them, and "train them up in the way they should go." Take them to the Lord by faith, and there leave them. Hath not the Lord commanded you to do so? "Leave thy fatherless children, and I will preserve them alive, and let thy widows trust in me." Jer. xlix. 11. How kind is the Lord! and to our anxious cares for love. Leave them with me. scension is here! And wilt replies, and "preserve them alive." O my friend, lay hold of this promise, take your ground on it, and let uo enemy drive you from it.

He speaks to our feelings. those whom we tenderly Good Lord, what condethou take them? Yes, he

"All the promises like the bank of England notes, are payable to the bearer, to him who believes them, and applies for the promised blessings. They are great, and they are precious indeed! May you and I be enabled to hold communion with God daily through them. They are all yea and amen (there is no nay) in Christ, and to us in him. Live on these immutable things, and you are sure to have strong consolations. Heb. vi. 18. God meant that we should believe, live on, and enjoy

the comfort of all his promises, or he would not have given them to us. And it is a dishonour to him, sinful in us, and very prejudicial to us, not to make use of them to the end for which they are given. I cannot say that I am well skilled in this life of faith on the promises; I know that none but the Spirit of promise cau bring us thus to live. But through mercy I know enough of it to long for more advances in this life, and to recommend it as superlatively good to all my friends. To live by the faith of the Son of God is the next step to heaven and there is no real permanent comfort on earth without it. Do not look on this life as unattainable, or as a ground very far from you. No, the word is nigh; and the Spirit of promise can bring us and the word together in an instant.-I commend you and yours to the Lord, and there I shall leave you for the present without adding any more words."

In May, 1806, Mr. C. preached in town one of the four sermons usually preached every year for the London Missionary Society. His concern for Missions overcame his great modesty and many other impediments arising from his various engagements. He felt a deep interest in the Missionary as well as in the Bible Society and promoted its support in Wales by contributions to its funds. His text on that occasion was Isa. x. 27. "The yoke shall be destroyed, because of the anointing." That it should contain any thing original or what some would call, great, could not have been expected, as he never aimed at such things. His great ambition was to deliver the great truths of the gospel in a plain, simple and pressing manner and no small unction generally accompanied his preaching. It was his spirit that constituted the main excellency of his

sermons. Love, compassion for sinners, and sympathy with the distressed Christian, impregnated almost every word he uttered.

SECT. II.-From 1807 to 1812.

There are two things of considerable importance to be recorded of Mr. C. during this period,-his visit to Ireland, and his correspondence respecting the Gaelic schools. These two things will principally take up this Section; though a few other matters shall be introduced.

A request was made to Mr C. this year, 1807, by the Committee of the Hibernian Society, to accompany three other gentlemen to Ireland, for the purpose of ascertaining the religious state of the country, the best means of instructing the people, and whether through the medium of the English or the Irish language. The condition of the sister island had previously been an object of anxiety to his mind; and therefore his compliance was easily gained. His three companions were the Rev. D. Bogue, the Rev. J. Hughes and S. Mills Esq. These four Christian tourists commenced their journey July 24, traversed the country mostly two and two, for nearly a month, and returned Aug. 20th. Their report was published; and much of the good that has since been done in Ireland must no doubt be attributed to it. "The observations then made by Mr. C." as we find it remarked in the Evangelical Magazine for Nov. 1815, "led him more especially to desire that schools might be established in every part of that country ; in which, such as require it, should be taught in their native language:-and had he lived to this day, when the Hibernian Society has more than 14,000 children

under instruction, his generous heart would have exulted with joy."—And it may be added, had he lived to the present day, when not only many are in the course of being taught, but many have been apparently truly converted, how much greater would have been the joy of his heart. Those who suggest and give rise to plans of usefulness, are the greatest benefactors of mankind: as the good which they originate may often extend to ages and confer benefits on millions. Blessed are those whom the Lord thus honours.

Mr. C. in this tour kept a journal, which I have now in my possession. It is too long to be given whole, and too interesting to be left out entirely. It shall be presented in a compressed form. Nothing shall be omitted that refers to the religious state of the country. -It may be right to state before we proceed, that the Bible Society sent 1000 testaments to Dublin to be distributed by Mr. C. and his companions, while travelling the country.

Mr. C. preached on Sunday, July 20, at Bethesda Chapel, Dublin. "The congregation not numerousthere was attention-The religious people seem in a great degree destitute of vigour and exertion in the cause of religion, full of disputations and dissentions; and therefore no wonder that little good is done. Dublin is supposed to contain 200,000 Papists and 50,000 Protestants; but few of these hear the gospel preached."

"Castle Comar.-We called on a pious evangelical clergyman. Here Lady Olives, benevolent, devotional, but not evangelical. The town and neighbourhood mostly Papists-bigoted and profligate and a profligate tippling priest. Some pious persons, called under J's ministry-congregation about 300.