forgotten, the remembrance of friendly offices done to the writer or to his family, or to his particular friends, might be preserved, in order that he may himself repay the debt in grateful acknowledgments while he lived, and that his family after him might know to whom their father owed obligations, and might feel every debt of gratitude due by him as an obligation on themselves."

Chap. viii, ver. 2, 3.-How that in a great trial of affliction, the abundance of their joy, and their deep poverty, abounded unto the riches of their liberality. For to their power, I bear record, yea, and beyond their power, they were willing of themselves.

Mr. Thomson, a clergyman in the west of England, long since dead, had made it his custom for many years, to distribute the overplus of the proceeds of his farm among the poor of his parish, after having supplied the wants of his own household. One year, however, he engaged to subscribe thirty pounds for the building of a chapel in a distant town. Being unable to raise the money by any other means than by breaking in upon the little hoard of his poor parishioners, he was under the necessity of selling so much as would raise the thirty pounds for his subscription to the chapel. The expedient, though painful to him, was unavoidable.-Having procured the money, he left home to be the bearer of his benefaction. In his journey he overtook a young lady riding on horseback, whom he thus accosted :-"Well overtaken, fair lady, will you accept of an old clergyman for your companion over the down! I am too old, indeed, to promise you much protection, but I trust God will protect both." There was a certain something in the manner with which Mr. T. said this, that was very attractive, so that the young lady felt a strong prepossession in his favor, before he had half finished what he said. She expressed herself much satisfied with his company, and by enquiring, found

they were both going to the same town. In the course of conversation, he told her his name, and the name of his church; "what a happy village of poor people his was, and how dear they were to him. When they arrived at the town, and were about to part, Mr. T. informed the lady of the name of the friend to whose house he was going, expressing a wish that she would call upon him before he left the place. The young lady, the same evening, mentioned to her friends, to whom she was on a visit, the name of the clergyman, and the many precious subjects of conversation with which he had entertained her, "Thomson!" cried the lady," I wish it was Mr. Thomson we have been so many years enquiring after in vain. I have thirty pounds, tied up in a bag by my late husband, due to a person of that name, who desired to leave it till called for. But I suppose he is dead; and his execcutor, whoever he be, knows nothing of it." Mr. Thomson was sent for, when it soon appeared, that the Mr. Thomson, to whom this money had been so long due, was his own brother, who had been dead for several years; and to whose effects he was the executor and residuary legatee. On the bags being put into his hand by the lady of the house, he fell on his knees, and with eyes lifted up, exclaimed, "Blessed be God! how gracious, how wonderful thus to provide money for my poor people at home! The money will be theirs again." He hastened to his friend in the town to inform him of what had happened; and as he entered his house, he cried out, "Praise God tell it in Gath, publish it in Askelon, that our God is a faithful God."

Chap. viii, ver. 14, 15.-But by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may be a supply for their wants, that their abundance also may be a supply for your want, that there may be equality: As it is written, He that had gathered much had nothing over;

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and he that had gathered little had no lack.

The Rev. Edward Jones was particularly noted for his charitable disposition. A friend once made him a present of a sum of money, that he might purchase malt to make beer for the use of his family. Returning home from the house of his friend, he happened to pass through a village where there were several poor families, some of whom were sick, and others in very needy circumstances. Hearing of their distresses, he went into their houses, in order to address some serious advice to them. But his heart was so much affected with the miseries he beheld, that he distributed among them what his friend had given him to supply his own wants. When he reached home, he told his wife what he had done. She cheerfully applauded his generosity, and at the same time acquainted him, that in his absence, God had inclined the heart of a neighboring farmer to send the very quantity of malt that his friend's money would have purchased.

Chap. ix, ver. 7.-Every man, according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give, not grudgingly, nor of necessity for God loveth a cheerful giver.

Mrs. Graham of New-York, made it a rule to appropriate a tenth part of her earnings to be expended for pious and charitable purposes; she had taken a lease of two lots of ground, in Greenwichstreet, from the Corporation of Trinity Church, with a view of building a house on them for her own accommodation: the building, however, she never commenced: by a sale which her son Mr. Bethune made of the lease in 1795, for her, she got an advance of one thousand pounds. So large a profit was new to her: " Quick, quick," said she, "let me appropriate the tenth before my heart grows hard." What fidelity in duty! What distrust of herself! Fifty

pounds of this money she sent to Mr. Mason, in aid of the funds he was collecting for the establishment of a theological seminary.

Chap. ix, ver. 9.-As it is written, He hath dispersed abroad: he hath given to the poor : his righteousness remaineth for ever.

The late John Thornton, Esq. of Clapham, was distinguished by his great liberality: he disposed of large sums in various charitable designs, with unremitting constancy, during a long course of years. His charities were much larger than is common with wealthy persons of good reputation for beneficence, insomuch that he was almost regarded as a prodigy. He was the patron of all pious, exemplary, and laborious ministers of the Gospel; frequently educating young men whom he found to be religiously disposed, and purchasing many livings, which he gave to ministers, in order that the Gospel might be preached in those places where he supposed the people were perishing for lack of knowledge. He also dispersed a very great number of Bibles in different languages in distant countries, perhaps in all the four quarters of the globe, and with them vast quantities of religious books, calculated to alarm the conscience, and affect the heart with the importance of eternal things. He also patronized every undertaking which was suited to supply the wants, to relieve the distresses, or to increase the comfort of the human species, in whatever climate, or of whatever description, provided they properly fell within his sphere of action. Perhaps it would even be difficult to name one public or private charity of evident utility to which he was not a benefactor.-May such noble and benevolent characters be found in every age!

Chap. x, ver. 4.-For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds.

The preaching of the late Rev. J. Scott having been made effectual to the production of a great change in a young lady, the daughter of a country gentleman, so that she could no longer join the family in their usual dissipations, and appeared to them as melancholy, or approaching to it, her father, who was a very gay man, looked upon Mr. Scott as the sole cause of what he deemed his daughter's misfortune, became exceedingly enraged at him; so much so, that he actually lay in wait, in order to shoot him. Mr. S. being providentially apprized of it, was enabled to escape the danger. The diabolical design of the gentleman being thus defeated, be sent Mr. S. a challenge. Mr. S. might have availed himself of the law, and prosecuted him, but he took another method. He waited upon him at his house, was introduced to him in his parlor, and, with his characteristic boldness and intrepidity, thus addressed him:-" Sir, I hear you have designed to shoot me,-by which you would have been guilty of murder; failing in this, you sent me a challenge: and what a coward you must be, sir, to wish to engage with a blind man, (alluding to his being short-sighted.) As you have given me the challenge, it is now my right to choose the time, the place, and the weapon; I, therefore, appoint the present moment, sir, the place where we now are, and the sword for the weapon, to which I have been most accustomed." The gentleman was evidently greatly terrified; when Mr. Scott, having attained his end, produced a pocket Bible, and exclaimed, “This is my sword, sir, the only weapon I wish to engage with."- "Never," said Mr. S. to a friend, to whom he related this anecdote, " never was a poor careless sinner so delighted with the sight of a Bible before." Mr. Scott reasoned with the gentleman on the impropriety of his conduct in treating him as he had done, for no other reason than because he had preached the everlasting Gospel. The result was, the gentleman took him by the hand, begged his pardon, expressed his sorrow for his conduct, and be came afterwards very friendly to him.