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Remarks on the Second Chapter of Exodus. what a beautiful and endearing view it gives of the compassion of God! Himself infinitely removed from all pain, and grief, and woe, yet tenderly alive to the pains, and griefs, and woes, of his suffering creatures, beholding our afflictions with the eye of pity, listening to our complaints with the willing ear of a father, melting at our sorrows with the sympathy of a friend that loveth at all times-sometimes appearing to stand aloof for awhile, yet only waiting "that he may be gracious." "God remembered his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." In this instance he was not only moved by mercy, but bound by promise and by oath to plead the cause of His people. When he assured Abraham that the land wherein he sojourned should be the "inheritance of his seed," that "his seed should possess the gate of his enemies," and that "He would be their God," he pledged himself to bring Israel out of the condition in which we here see them: and we shall soon see that His word "shall not pass away." But, while we admire the faithfulness of God to his injured people, let all faithful believers in Christ rejoice, they are "heirs of promise." "By two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie," they have "strong consolation who have fled for refuge to lay hold on the hope set before us." He has ensured their salvation by his promise and his oath. He will remember his covenant wherein He has promised us-"I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts, and their sins and their iniquities I will remember no more."

T. B. P.

ADVICE TO MOTHERS.

I SHOULD entreat a mother, by the very love which she bears to her children, to consider well the nature of her duties. I do not require her to go into any difficult discussion on this point, for love should be the ruling principle in her heart, and this right feeling is in danger of being kept down by laboured investigation. There is that in a mother's feelings, which will urge her on in the right course, if she is really desirous of filling the mind of her child with the love of truth. To this feeling I would speak. The duties of a mother, if we may so say, are both easy and difficult; but I hope there is no mother who has not found the highest reward in overcoming difficulties in such a cause: and the whole of her duties will by degrees open before her, if she will but dwell upon that simple yet awful and elevating idea, "My children are born for eternity, and given expressly to my charge, that I may educate them for being children of God." Look around you in the world, and see the different occupations and pursuits of men. "Whose employment seems to you the most sacred, most solemn, most holy." Doubtless you are ready to exclaim, "He whose life is dedicated to the spiritual good of mankind; how happy must he be, whose calling is to lead others to happiness, and happiness everlasting!" Well, happy mother! this task is thine. Think not that I rank thee too highly. Raise thy heart in gratitude to Him who has entrusted thee with so high a charge. Try to perform it aright.

Thy love and diligence, with the help of Providence, the Spirit of power, to assist and strengthen thee, will remove the greatest part of thy difficulties. Look to that spirit for all that thou dost want, and especially for those two grand requisites, courage, and humility.-From Pestalozzi.

On Buying and Selling on the Sabbath. 9

ON BUYING AND SELLING ON THE SABBATH.

C. L. LAZARUS, with another man and woman, were taken to the Mary-le-bone police office, and charged by Trodd, a street keeper, with offering fruit for sale in Oxford street on Sunday morning, Nov. 18th, during the hours of divine service.-Mr. Rawlinson, the magistrate, told Trodd that he had done right in trying to prevent this sort of Sabbath breaking; but he dismissed the prisoners, thinking, that, as they had been already locked up twenty four hours in Mary-le-bone watch-house, it was unnecessary for him to inflict any further punishment on them; and he moreover considered, that detaining their baskets of fruit would have insured their appearance without keeping them in confinement before their case was considered by the magistrate.

Great exertions are making in London, and other populous places, to promote the better observance of the Sabbath; and there are perhaps few things more likely to promote religion, and consequently to improve the morals of the people, than a right observance of the Sabbath Day. But then, this must be done in earnest, and with real sincerity,the punishment of a few basket women will be of very little use, unless there is, in addition to such measures, a very decided appearance in all classes of society, that they are in earnest in their wish to promote true religion, and that this wish is the reason why they feel obliged to have recourse sometimes to the law, to punish those who are not restrained by better motives, and who thus break the Sabbath themselves and tempt others to do the same. Those persons who keep open their shops on the Sunday, or who encourage buying and selling either in the streets or in houses, do put great temptations in the way of others. The poorer classes are those who

chiefly support the trade of the basket people; and we may hope, that, if it can be brought about that a decided difference shall be made between Sunday and week day, those poor people in great towns, who so dreadfully neglect the duties of the Sabbath, may be brought to think and consider, and get into a habit of frequenting a place of worship, and thus be brought to that real reformation of the heart which alone can produce an effectual reformation of the conduct. But we must remember, that religion concerns the rich as well as the poor; and those in the higher classes who are themselves in earnest on the subject of religion, the most important of all subjects, will rejoice to see a love for religion spreading through the country, and will do all they can to encourage it, and will not be content with trying to check, by law, the poor Sabbath-breakers around them, but they will set them an example, which shall shew the power that religion has over their own minds; and they will endeavour, in their own families, to check every thing that may be against the promotion of this righteous cause; and they will be ready, and willing, to go without many of their own. indulgences, if the partaking of them, in any way should lead others into sin. It is indeed only by a willingness to give up what is wrong, that we can in any way, prove that our religion is sincere. If it is wrong in the butcher and the fishmonger and the poulterer and the fruiterer to sell their things, it is wrong in their customers to buy them; they are sinning, and they are tempting others to sin. And, as to the law, the magistrate spoke very plainly.-He said to the officer, "Do you never see fish and fruit carried down the area steps in great houses during the hours of divine service? Remember it is your duty to serve all alike; for the laws are made for the rich as well as for the poor."

Burning Widows in India.

BURNING WIDOWS IN INDIA.

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THE House of Commons has lately printed further papers on the subject of Suttees, or the horrid practice of widows laying themselves upon a funeral pile on the death of their husbands, and thus being burned to death. It is a melancholy thing to think of, that there should be, in a country belonging to Englishmen and Christians, a superstition productive of such dreadful consequences. It is devoutly to be wished, that, as the religion of Christ becomes better known in the East, the poor natives may learn that the great and merciful Being who governs the world, cannot be pleased with such cruel and horrible rites as these. It happily appears that already these horrid sacrifices are less common than they were a few years ago; and the papers published by the House of Commons give us great reason to think that it might be altogether put an end to by the authority of the government, without exciting any serious disturbance among the natives. In defence of this horrid practice, it has been said, that the widows do it willingly; but, supposing it to be so, this can only arise from their grievous ignorance, in believing that by this sacrifice they shall gain the favour of their God :—and, surely, it would be a most benevolent effort of Christian charity to teach them better. But, from the printed documents before us, it does not appear that the women do always willingly thus throw away their lives. Some of them seem to feel great alarm on the approach of this horrible and painful death, and seem eager to escape from it. Or, even if they do appear to come willingly, they have probably been urged to it beforehand by their priests, who gain money by the sacrifice, or by their relatives who expect to receive some profit by their death. When they are once brought to the pile, however much they may dread their

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