From vanity turn off mine eyes;

Let no corrupt design,
Nor any selfish wish arise,

Within this soul of mine.

Order my footsteps by thy word,
And make my heart sincere;
Let sin have no dominion, Lord,
But keep my conscience clear.

Assist my soul, too apt to stray,
A stricter watch to keep,

And, if I e'er forget thy way,

Restore Thy wand'ring sheep.-Watts.

Sent by E. D.

PROGRESS AND PERSEVERANCE IN REPENTANCE.

"THIS is the will of God, even our sanctification;" our being cleansed and purified from the guilt of our past sins, and delivered from the love and the practice of sin for the time to come. Forgiveness of sin, and deliverance from the punishment due to it, every one may well be supposed to desire, but no one may hope to attain this salvation, purchased for us by the divine Redeemer, in any way but "through sanctification of the Spirit;" it is He alone who can purge our consciences from dead works, to serve the living God."

66

It is through the blood of atonement-the blood of Christ, the mediator of the new covenant, that this deliverance from the love and the practice of sin can be effected; but the power, the cleansing efficacy of that blood, we must not hope for, without a " faith working by love". producing contrition and godly sorrow in our hearts, that we should have offended God, and abused that goodness which gave us life and being, and all things,-every temporal blessing and every spiritual mercy-even a Saviour to redeem us from sin and misery, and to open to us the kingdom of heaven, and everlasting life.

In a true godly sorrow, arising from the love of God, and a deep shame at having abused his goodness—in this consists that" repentance unto life which is not to be repented of," and which thou, O Christian, must be ever labouring after. Having earnestly begged the grace of repentance, thou must be faithfully striving to put it in practice. An abhorrence of thy sins, and an earnest

1834.]

ON REPENTANCE.

303

longing after the grace of sanctification, thou must ever cherish in thy heart, and shouldest feelingly say, "Oh, how evil and bitter a thing sin is!" Never must thou pretend to justify or excuse thyself before God, but be offering, even daily, "the sacrifice of a broken and contrite heart." Always thou shouldest come before Him as a penitent-as one who needs forgiveness, and has no hope but in those tender mercies which are set before us in Christ.

Doing this frequently and seriously, will keep thy heart humble, and afraid of sin-and, "happy is the man that feareth alway." The ear of mercy is open to the true penitent: through Christ, there is access for thy "the prayers to the throne of grace, for, prayer of the humble pierceth the clouds." Till we repent seriously, and in good earnest, the wrath of God abideth on us; and we can have no hope of grace on earth, or of glory in heaven. We shall do nothing "with acceptance," but be "falling from one wickedness to another," even while deceiving ourselves with the idea that we are repenting : and that, because we have not set about it in a humble contrite spirit, abhorring and fearing sin above every thing.

Consider this: let confessions and humiliations have a place in thy daily prayers. Be not negligent in taking to thee words, and saying, "I have erred and gone astray, like a sheep that is lost, and there is no health in me; but, O Lord, take away mine iniquity, and receive me graciously; O seek thy servant, for I do not forget thy commandments."

"He that hardeneth his heart shall not prosper," he shall not make any progress in the way of salvation—but, "whoso confesseth and forsaketh his sins, shall have mercy," and shall "find grace to help in time of need." Humbly indeed, need we say unto God, "Oh, remember not our old sins, but have mercy upon us!" But yet it concerns us to remember them, and to confess them penitently, for the humbling of our hearts, and to the glory of that mercy which did not cut us off in the midst of them. Many, many are the daily sins and infirmities which need to be confessed and lamented, that we may obtain mercy in the pardon of our past sins, and grace

to be more watchful and careful against them for the future.

Repentance, therefore, is not the work of days of humiliation, and of solemn seasons only; it is our daily work; and daily must we labour, under divine grace, to perfect that which is yet lacking therein. Often be lifting up thy heart, and saying, "Lord, perfect the good work which thou hast begun in me, and turn my feet altogether unto thy testimonies! Oh! that my ways were made so direct that I might keep all thy commandments; oh! let my heart be sound in thy statutes, that I be not ashamed; so shall I alway keep thy law, yea, for ever and ever!" C. P. F.

VERSES, BY BISHOP HEber.

WHEN spring unlocks the flowers, to paint the laughing soil,
When summer's balmy showers refresh the mower's toil,
When winter binds in frosty chains the fallow and the flood,
In GOD the earth rejoiceth still, and owns its Maker good.
The birds that wake the morning, and those that love the shade,
The winds that sweep the mountain, or lull the drowsy glade,
The sun that from his amber bower rejoiceth on his way,
The moon and stars their Maker's name in silent pomp display.
Shall Man, the lord of nature,-expectant of the sky,
Shall Man alone unthankful, his little praise deny ?—

No, let the year forsake its course, the seasons cease to be,
Thee, Master, must we always love,—and, Saviour, honour THEee.
The flowers of spring may wither, the hope of summer fade,
The autumn droop in winter, and birds forsake the shade,
The winds be lulled, the sun and moon forget their old decree,
But we in Nature's latest hour, O Lord, will cling to THEE!

Sent by C. S. R.

ANSWERS TO THE QUESTIONS IN ENGLISH HISTORY. (In the last number, p. 260.)

Answer 1. King Edward the Fourth left three children, -two sons, and one daughter.

A. 2. The eldest son, now Edward the Fifth, was only thirteen years old when his father died.

A. 3. His uncle, the duke of Gloucester, was appointed Protector.

A. 4. The Protector is represented as crooked in body, as well as in mind, being of a very base and cruel dispo

sition.

1834.] QUESTIONS FOR THE HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 305

A. 5. The Protector put the Lord Hastings to death, pretending that he and Jane Shore had shrivelled his arm by witchcraft, although it had in fact been in this state from his birth.

A. 6. The real reason why he put Lord Hastings to death was that this nobleman was friendly to the young king.

A. 7. Jane Shore was the wife of a citizen of London, a goldsmith in Lombard-street; she had left her husband to live with the late king.

A. 8. She was made to do penance by walking to church, through the streets of London, barefooted, in a white sheet, with a candle in her hand, according to the custom of those times. Every one was forbidden to give her meat, or drink, or shelter. She died in the most wretched state of poverty and want. Gloucester thus punished her, not from any real abhorrence of her crimes, but because she had been kind to the king's children.

A. 9. He caused the young king and his brother, Richard, duke of York, to be murdered in the Tower. A. 10. The duke of Gloucester then became king himself, under the title of Richard the Third.

A. 11. The duke of Richmond raised an army against king Richard.

A. 12. A battle was fought.

A. 13. At Bosworth field, in Leicestershire.

A. 14. The duke of Richmond conquered, and Richard was killed in the battle.

A. 15. Then the duke of Richmond became king, under the title of Henry the Seventh.

A. 16. This was in the year 1585.

QUESTIONS FOR THE HISTORY OF ENGLAND.

(To be answered in our next number.)

V.

Question 1. Was Henry, duke of Richmond, the rightful heir to the throne of England?

Q. 2. Who was?

Q. 3. Whom did king Henry the Seventh marry ? Q. 4. How was it that this marriage put an end to the wars between the houses of York and Lancaster?

Q. 5. Were there any rebellions during this reign?

Q. 6. Who made pretensions to the crown?
Q. 7. What became of Lambert Simnel?

Q. 8. Was there any other pretender to the crown after this?

Q. 9. Whom did Perkin Warbeck pretend to be?

Q. 10. In what year did Henry the Seventh die?

THE TOUR OF ENGLAND.

1.

LITTLE England has forty counties in all,

Some great and some middling, and one very small;
Six northern, four western, eight eastern; and mind,
Three south-east, twelve midland, seven southern you'll find.

2.

Northumberland stands at the top of the tree,
And Cumberland next with his hills you will see;
Then Westmoreland so for its lakes and slates famed,
And Durham oft times with its bishopric named.

3.

Then York, with its Ridings, the next on the roll,
And Lancashire, known for its weavers and coal;
Then Lincoln, so rich in its soil and its coast,
And Nottingham where the best spinners they boast.

4.

Then Derbyshire's Peak we will see, if you please,
In Cheshire we'll eat a good slice of their cheese;
In Shropshire we'll stop just to taste of their ale;
And the Staffordshire potteries to see we'll not fail.
5.

By the Leicestershire spires, so taper and tall,
Through Rutland, of counties the smallest of all,
We'll pass to Northampton, nor stay to alight,
Since we purpose to sleep at Bedford that night.

6.

And now, my good children, where next shall we rest?
We'll travel through Bucks, and so on to the west;
We'll see Warwick Castle, though out of the way:
At Worcester the china we'll see the next day.

7.

For Her'ford and Ross we'll set out the next morn,
And see Monmouth, where Henry the Fifth was born;
The orchards of Gloster we'll pass on our way,

Aad tarry at Oxford the whole of the day.

8.

But stop, let us see, as we are going all round,
We must here turn about, and double our ground;
And to Huntington go, and take a full view,
Of Cambridge's famed University too.

V.