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may be taught to do the same; that the faithful servants of God upon earth may thus seek to imitate the saints and angels in Heaven. Our Catechism thus explains these petitions of our prayer. “I desire my Lord God our heavenly Father, who is the giver of goodness, to send his grace unto me, and to all people, that we may worship him, serve him, and obey him as we ought to do."

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When we say, Give us, this day, our daily bread," we ask, for the supply of our daily temporal wants, and for the bread of life, that spiritual food which cometh from above ;- -or as our Catechism explains this petition, "All things that be needful both for our souls and bodies."

When we pray that God would “ forgive us our trespasses," we should, as Christians, bear in mind the great sacrifice of our Saviour Christ, through whose merits alone, our sins can be blotted out:and when we ask that our sins and trespasses may be forgiven, as we forgive them that have sinned and "trespassed against us," we are bound to cultivate a spirit of loving-kindness and forgiveness towards our fellow creatures; otherwise our prayers will turn to our own condemnation; for, if we forgive not others, we are just asking that God would not forgive us; and indeed we are not allowed to expect that God would forgive us our offences against Him, if we forgive not our fellow creatures their offences against us. If we have this spirit of Christian forgiveness, we may then hope, that for Christ's sake, our heavenly Father will "be merciful to us, and forgive us our sins."

When we beg of our heavenly Father to "lead us not into temptation," we ask (as the Catechism explains it) "that it would please Him to save and defend us in all dangers, ghostly and bodily;" that is, in the midst of such temptations as might be dangerous to our souls and lead us into sin, as well as

those which might be injurious to our bodily health and safety. If we offer up this prayer sincerely, we shall try, at the same time, to keep out of the way of temptation, and not venture into places, and among persons, where we might be tempted to do wrong, or to incur needless danger.

"Deliver us from evil," or (according to the original, as some think) "from the evil one." Both these senses are fully preserved in the explanation, Keep us from all sin and wickedness, and from our ghostly (spiritual) enemy, and from everlasting death."

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All these petitions, we are to offer up in the name of Christ, and through Him, as our Mediator, wę may humbly trust that our prayers will be heard and accepted. Every Christiau may sincerely say, after each petition, in the words of the Catechism; "This I trust, he will do of his mercy and goodness, through our Lord Jesus Christ;" and may therefore heartily say, "Amen." So be it. V.

LETTER FROM A SERVANT MAN TO HIS SISTER, ON GOING TO CHURCH.

To the Editor of the Cottager's Monthly Visitor,

SIR,

I HAVE read with much pleasure many articles in your excellent Visitor, shewing the necessity of attending public worship on the Sabbath. I transmit to you a letter upon this subject, sent by a Manservant to his married sister, resident in my parish, with whom I had remonstrated in vain. It is written with so much force and simplicity, that I cannot but think it would be generally useful if it found a place in

the pages of your excellent publication. I send it in its native dress, without any alteration or ornament.

I am Sir,

Your obliged and constant Reader,
- H. J. H.

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I will now do myself the pleasure of sending you a few lines, and I hope they will find you better, as I heard by Charles you were but poorly. Dear Mary, excuse my odd remarks, but I think sometimes it is good for us to be unwell, for if we always had our health, then we should forget that great Creator which gives us all things that are needful both for our souls and bodies. It sometimes reminds us of

that great work which we ought to have done, and which we have not done. Now, for a person that has not good health, sometimes doctors are very useful, but not in all cases. The Bible well read, and the Church well attended on a Sunday, is a most excellent physic for a person that is sick as well as a person that is in good health. Now, dear sister, when I was at M- -y, I am sorry to say that I saw but very little relish for the Church; now the Church is God's house; that is the place where all us vile sinners ought to go twice every Lord's-day, and lay all our sins before him, and pray heartily for him to forgive us all that is past; not to go as if we were going to a play, but think what we are going about, and attend to the prayers, for they are of more consequence than the sermon. It is by prayer that we are admitted into that heavenly kingdom-that house not made with hands. Dear Sister, if you wish for comfort, attend to these words, "O Lord, grant me grace to attend seri

ously to my prayers, to thy great and glorious Majesty." I hope you will not attempt to say your children hinder you from going to Church; this excuse will not do, because all your children are quite large enough to go too; the plan of a wise mother is to bend the twig whilst it is young; you should teach them to fear God more than man; and you would, in a very short time, reap comfort by it yourself. Adopt my plan, and that is, I never leave on the Saturday a knife or a shoe uncleaned that I want on Sunday; notwithstanding, in my situation I find a great deal sometimes to do that is necessary to be done; but with all this, I find time to go twice to Church on Sunday, which makes me much more happy than if I had not been at all. I own I am not half thankful enough for such a valuable privilege. Now, dear Sister, I feel pretty well assured that things have gone very much awry with you both, for some time, but that I do not wonder at, for it's always the case when God's work is not done, and his commands not obeyed. When we are unwell we might make use of these words with safety

-"Lord, I am justly afflicted for my sins, O sanctify my bodily sufferings to the saving of my soul." Again, "Lord, have compassion on my weakness, and lay not more upon me than I am able to bear; Let thy grace be sufficient for me." Dear Sister, it is high time for you, as well as me, to wake out of sleep, and think where we are to go to when we depart from this earth. Christ says, "Come unto me all ye that are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Now, if we refuse this invitation, then where must we expect to go? Why, there is a hell pointed out to us, and there we must go if we refuse to go to Christ; therefore the Church is the place where all we poor creatures ought to go for instruction; now do not delay; embrace the first opportunity, and every one after, of going to Church ; and then, by the blessing of God, I am sure that you

will find more comfort than ever you have yet.Now God bless you, and give you grace to attend seriously to your prayers.

I remain your dutiful Brother,

April, 1823.

and well-wisher.

DOES SIN PRODUCE HAPPINESS?

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ST. PAUL is very bold upon this point, and plainly asks the disciples whom he had converted from the error of their ways, "What fruit had ye then in those things, whereof ye are now ashamed *?” "What fruit," what enjoyment, what gratification had ye in that wickedness, which it now humbles you to the dust, to think that ye ever indulged, and delighted in? *** I will venture to follow up the question of the Apostle, and to ask any of those who are living in the habit of any wickedness, living as strangers to God, living as enemies to Christ. I too will dare, to put this question, "What fruit" have ye now "in those things" whereof the Christian is ashamed? Are your days peaceful? Are your nights tranquil? Do you love the companions of your guilt? Are they dear to you? Do you like the recollection of your sin? Are not the thoughts of those who first led you into evil practices hateful to your sober conscience? Are you not haunted too by the remembrance of those whom you have allured to do wrong; whose souls, at the day of judgment, may rise and condemn you, because you have decoyed them into everlasting ruin. I know I may ask, with truth, what fruit have ye now in those things of which the Christian is ashamed? I know that sin is a hard master, and benefits none who are his ser

* Romans vi. 21.

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