1834.] EXTRACTS FROM BISHOP HOPKINS. 207 more cold, or more rain, than is agreeable to them. We allow that the discomfort produced by these circumstances is often great, and from bodily infirmity more so to some persons than to others; but still much may be done by all to encourage in themselves a calm cheerfulness of spirit, inclining them to see and give thanks for all the blessings around them. One of the first methods to produce this is daily and constantly to exercise that faith in our Heavenly Father which makes us acknowledge him as all wise and all good, and teaches us to abstain from all remarks which would imply discontent with his ordinances and dispensations. Thus we should experience an immediate benefit; for the lesser evils of life are greatly increased by complaining of them and dwelling on them. If a person, vexed with any of these little troubles, would endeavour to interest himself in any employment or conversation, he would find how soon the annoyance disappeared, and would have saved himself and his companions much pain. We would hold up the example of an excellent friend of ours, whose well regulated mind and temper is a blessing to herself and all around, and whose perpetual cheerfulness diffuses itself as a charm wherever she is Her constant practice is never to mention any thing disagreeable that has occurred to her. Thus discouraged, evils seem to disappear from her memory, whilst her mind is left free to enjoy the blessings and comforts which God has bestowed on her. We feel sure that this practice of banishing from the conversation the minor inconveniences of life, would be one great promoter of Christian cheerfulness. How many of the evils of life might be relieved by constant cheerful resignation the will of God, which, whilst exercising our faith in him, will largely contribute to the happiness of ourselves and others.--From a Correspondent. EXTRACTS FROM BISHOP HOPKINS. MR. EDITOR, HAVING lately read some admirable sermons by Bishop Hopkins, which abound with powerful illustrations and quaint expressions; and as extracts from his works (or at least this part of them) are seldom found in periodical works, I have copied a few passages for insertion in the Cottager. H. S. T. Memory.-Many are discouraged from studying the Scriptures, because, as they say, their memories are so treacherous and unfaithful they can retain nothing. More pains will supply this defect. Memory is the soul's steward; and if thou findest it unfaithful, call it the oftener to account. A vessel set under the fall of a spring, cannot leak faster than it is supplied. A constant dropping of this heavenly doctrine into the memory, will keep it, that, though it be leaky, yet it never shall be empty. If Scripture truths do not enrich the memory, yet they may purify the heart. We must not measure the benefit we receive from the word according to what of it remains, but according to what effect it leaves behind. Lightning, you know, than which nothing sooner vanisheth away, often breaks and melts the hardest and most firm bodies in its sudden passage. Such is the irresistible force of the Word: the Spirit often darts it through us-it seems but like a flash and gone, and yet it may break and melt down our hard hearts before it, when it leaves no impression at all upon our memories. I have heard of one, who returning from an affecting sermon highly commended it to some, and being demanded what he remembered of it, answered, "truly, I remember nothing at all, but only while I heard it, it made me resolve to live better, and so, by God's grace, I will." To the same purpose I have somewhere read a story of one that complained to an aged holy man, that he was much discouraged from reading the Scriptures, because he could fasten nothing upon his memory which he had read. The old hermit (for so, as I remember, he was described) bid him take an earthen pitcher and fill it with water; when he had done it, he bid him empty it again and wipe it clean, that nothing should remain in it, which, when the other had done, and wondered to what this tended: "now," saith he, "though there be nothing of the water remaining to it, yet the pitcher is cleaner than it was before; so, though thy memory retain nothing of the word thou readest, yet thy heart is the cleaner for its very passage through.' 1834.] EXTRACTS FROM BISHOP HOPKINS. 209 Drunkenness.-But of this common sin, it is not against any one particular commandment of the law, but against all; for since the moral law is the law and rule of right reason, the whole of it must needs be broken when reason itself is perverted by riot and intemperance, the man turned out of doors, and the beast taken in. So that, indeed, drunkenness is not so much any one sin as it is all: never were all the commandments more surely broken when Moses cast the two tables out of his hands, than they are in another sense broken by the drunkard. For he hath put off the man and put on the swine-and into such swine it is that the devil enters, as surely as ever he entered into the herd of the Gadarenes; and drives them furiously down the precipices of all manner of sins and vices, till at length, he plungeth and drowneth them in the lake of fire and brimstone to drink their fill. The Christian work.-For shame, O Christians, since that your work is so great, why will you sit still as if you knew not how to employ yourselves! Besides, there is great variety in your work, and this usually breeds some kind of delight. You are not always to be toiling and drudging at the same thing, but, as bees fly from one flower to another, and suck sweetness from each of them, so should a Christian pass from one duty to another, and draw forth the sweetness of communion with God from every one of them. Christmas. It is sad to consider, that as Christ's birth hath been the cause of the salvation of many a soul: so it may be feared, that Christmas hath been the damnation of many a soul. What through rioting, drunkenness, revelling, gaming, and such like excesses, the name of Christ has been greatly dishonoured, under a pretence of honouring his birth. What, Sirs, do you think that Christ came into the world only to give you an occasion to eat unto gluttony, and to drink unto drunkenness? Are not these some of the sins which he came into the world to destroy? Observe then a day, but take the Apostle's direction, "He that observeth a day, let him observe it to the Lord." It is his rule to observe it with a holy heart, with spiritual meditation, with heavenly affections. This is the only way to reap the benefit of God's good-will in sending Christ into the world, and this is the only way to ascribe glory to God for his goodwill towards men. HYMN, Suitable for a Young Person just going into Service. In this new state, O Lord, direct My wand'ring steps, and me protect; Give me a mind from error free- Lo! weak and helpless, I would flee Whilst here below, to me afford F. M. K. TAXES. WE are always glad when we find that Government is able to do any thing for the relief of the poor, and that any taxes can be taken off which press most upon those who are least able to bear them. But still we cannot help wondering when we hear people talking of the oppression of the poor by taxation, and trying to persuade them that all their distresses arise from the taxes. These things do very well to talk about; and many people think that they shall be reckoned the friends of the poor, if they tell them of their grievances, and persuade them that they are miserable. Now all persons allow that a certain sum must be raised by taxation for the expenses of the nation; but there is a much larger sum than this raised to pay the interest of the national debt. Some persons seem to fancy that the national debt is a sum due to a foreign nation. But the national debt is the debt due to those persons who have money in the public funds; their money is lent to government; and the interest of it 8 1834.] TAXES. 211 This is paid out of the money raised by the taxes. interest must be paid, or the character of the nation for honesty is gone; and, moreover, a refusal to pay this interest would not only be a shameful fraud, but would be productive of great misery all over the nation. Honesty is not only a "bounden duty," but it is always the "best policy" for nations as well as individuals. During the last few years the expenses of the nation have been much lessened, and several taxes have been taken off. Many people say they feel no better for this. Surely, when the income-tax was taken off, relief was felt; and there will be relief by taking off the house-tax. But then they say, "the poor feel no benefit." Now what does this prove? It proves that the poor were not burdened by the taxes, since they feel no relief from their removal. In fact the taxes press so little on the poor, that, if a great many more of them were taken off, the would feel very poor little difference. House-tax, window-tax, income-tax, servant-tax, and many more that we could name, have never affected the very poor at all. How cruel, then, and how wicked it is, to talk to them about these matters, and to make them discontented, and lead them to believe that all their troubles might be ended by taking off taxes, when the taxes are, in truth, not the cause of their troubles, and their miseries would therefore continue, if every tax were taken off. People who like to make trouble, will say to a poor man, "only think of the enormous sum of between forty and fifty millions a-year paid in taxes !" But a clever poor man might say this, "but how many farthings of this fall to my share? I shall lose more money in standing idling and grumbling with you, than all that I pay in taxes." A steady, sober, industrious poor man does well in almost all times. Clothing and bread are much cheaper now than they were a few years ago; and many poor people say, that they never were better off than at this present time. Those who are idle, or careless, or fond of drinking, will never do well at any time. They are sure to tax themselves heavily; and no power upon earth can relieve them from their troubles. The difference is in a man's own habits. It is needful that every one |