tidings of a Saviour. His anxiety to be instructed increased as we advanced on our journey; and I thought with reluctance of parting from him. But I remembered the name, and knew the character, of the Clergyman of the parish, whither he was going. And on arriving at the inn in Leeds, I wrote a hasty note to him, commending the soldier to his pastoral care. I gave the note and some tracts to my fellow traveller, and bid him farewell. But my readers will judge what my feelings would be, when

heard some months after from the clergyman, that he had been constant in his visits to his new parishioner, whose mind had more and more opened to the reception of divine truth; and that after witnessing his growth in grace and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ, he had the unspeakable comfort of seeing him depart in peace, a humble penitent on a review of his misspent life, but a happy believer in the fulness and the freeness of Christ's salvation.

Could I then doubt, but that my steps were ordered by the Lord on that eventful journey?. The fulfilment of God's designs, as Mr. Newton somewhere observes, may depend upon our turning up this street or that street: and if often that fulfilment may depend upon the crossing of our most anxious wishes, what have we to do, but to acknowledge God in all our ways, and then to rest assured, that whatever befals us, he directs our path. Oh! the happiness of the Christian! The very hairs of his head are all numbered; and the God of grace and providence is his guide!

SELECT PASSAGE.

Even that tyrant Hyder Ally, while he refused in a certain treaty to deal with others, said, "send me Swartzsend me the Christian Missionary," said this Mahometan: I will treat with him, for him only can I trust."- Cecil.

66

SHORT SERMON.

PSALM IXXXiv. 10.

"I had rather be a door-keeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness."

We do not enough consider the vast importance and privilege of public worship. Not only is the assembling of ourselves together as saints, injoined upon us as a duty, but special promises are annexed to it. "If two of you shall agree on earth, as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." The Saviour then is in a special manner present amongst his assembled people. And what does this imply? It implies, that though he is always waiting to be gracious, yet when his people agree in concert to pray for his grace, he is then, above all other times, standing ready to dispense to their souls all the blessings of the new covenant.

Would that we better understood this blessed truth! If we made it more the subject of our active faith, what an interest and importance would it give to our daily family worship, and to our temple services ! We should never enter upon them, with out thinking of the promise of the Saviour's special presence; and that promise would embolden our prayer, put life into it, and thus obtain what we ask for.

David could well enter into these feelings; and amongst the many trials which he suffered, it was not the least, that he was often cut off from public worship. Banished from the sanctuary, he gives vent to his sorrows in the beautiful Psalm before us. seems to envy even the sparrows their dwelling-place under the eves of the temple. He casts a wishful eye

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to those favoured persons, who dwell in God's house; and then in our text, he contrasts the state of a door keeper in the temple, with that of the wicked. Observe the force of the comparison. He had rather have the lowest place, the most distant and the obscurest post near Jehovah's temple, than be the constant and most honoured inmate in the dwellings of the ungodly. For in that temple was the Shekinah, the cloud, which told the Israelites of Jehovah's presence amongst them: and though it was surely best of all to behold that manifestation of the divine presence, and to come near unto it; yet even the poor door-keeper, though confined to the outer court, might well exult in his privilege; for he knew full well that the cloud of glory was there; and faith could supply his want of sight; and the walls could not keep him from the benefit of that holy atmosphere, which, as it were, encircled the sanctuary.

But the tents of wickedness-what could they yield? Nay, let David feast on their abundance, revel in their luxuries, and know their utmost ability to make happy, it was all like the poison of asps, or the produce of a broken cistern.

Learn then, my reader, from this passage, to form a due estimate of things. Even the most distant view of Jehovah's grace and glory in Christ Jesus; even the lowest seat amongst his worshippers; even the scantiest taste that he is gracious, is far, far beyond all the pleasures of sin. Oh! to feel the Spirit, by which the Saviour now makes known his presence, to feel it moving in the congregation, stirring up in your hearts some new kindlings of repentance, some new exercise of faith in a promise, some higher views, and some sweeter foretastes of awaiting glory, what can be compared to this? Here is the soul's best contentment. Here is its witness

of its baptism into the cloud; and its assurance that God has taken it under the shelter of his reconciled presence. And thus the soul partakes of the happiness of that promise," my presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest." Value then your

social and public means of grace. It is through them, that Christ manifests himself to his followers, as he does not unto the world. It is in the temple, that the cloud of glory dwells. Oh! what constant waiting should there be within its courts! Oh! what solemn worship, and what lively expectation! If verily this is none other than the house of God and the gate of heaven, who, that consults his soul's best interests, can ever needlessly absent himself from its worship?

THE CHRISTIAN.

From Bishop Hall.

HIS DEATH.

He is not so careful to keep his soul within his teeth, as to send it forth well prepared for happiness. Knowing therefore the last conflict to be most violent, he rouses up his courage to encounter that king of fear, his last enemy, Death. And now after a painful sickness, and expecting the fiercest assault, it falls out with him, as in the meeting of the two hostile brothers, Jacob and Esau. Instead of grappling, he finds a courteous salutation for stabs, kisses; for height of enmity, offices of love. Life could never befriend him so much, as death offers to do: for death tenders him (perhaps a rough, but) a sure hand to lead him to glory; and receives a welcome accordingly. Neither is there any cause to wonder at the change: the Lord of life has wrought it: he, having by dying subdued death, has reconciled it to his own ; and has (as it were) beaten it into these fair terms with all the members of his mystical body: so as while to the enemies of God, death is still no other, than a terrible execu

tioner of divine vengeance, he is to all that are in Christ, a pleasant and sure convoy to blessedness. The Christian, therefore, now laid upon his last bed, when this grim messenger comes to fetch him to heaven, looks not so much at his dreadful visage, as at his happy errand; and is willing not to remember what death is in itself, but what it is to us in Christ; by whom it is made so useful, that we could not be happy without it. Here then comes in the last act and employment of faith; for after this conflict passed, there is no more use of faith, but of sight. Faith heartens the soul in a lively apprehension of that blessed Saviour, who both led him the way of suffering, and is making way for him to everlasting glory. Faith shews him Jesus the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. Faith clings close to him, and lays fast hold of his person, his merits, his blessedness. Upon the wings of this faith, is the soul ready to mount up toward that heaven which is open to receive it ; and in that act of flight, puts itself into the hands of those blessed angels, who are ready to carry it up to the throne of glory.

EXPLANATION OF A TEXT

I will wash my hands in innocency, so will I compass thine altar, O Lord.-Ps. xxvi. 6.

1. By the word "wash," we are taught man's actual and original pollution, and his need of regeneration.

2. "In innocency," cannot imply our own inherent goodness, since we read that there is nothing pure in the sight of God, and that he chargeth his angels with folly: but it must imply that regenerating fountain, spoken of by the Prophet, which should be opened for sin and uncleanness in the person of Immanuel.

3. It is only by the regeneration of our hearts, the justificrtion of our persons, and by the sanctification of our natures