nefit conferred by a kind and compassionate friend; for like the institution of the tithes among the Jews, the blessing which rests upon it implies a promise of a blessing upon what remains. What was the apparent diminution of property occasioned by their paying the tithes, at the command of God, compared with the blessing which attended their obedience? After long experience, the prophet expostulated with them on the loss which they had sustained, by withholding from God the things which were due to him; saying, Consider your ways, saith the Lord of Hosts; ye have sown much and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages, earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes: ye looked for much, and lo, it came to little, and when ye brought it home I did blow upon it? Why? saith the Lord of Hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye did run every man into his own house. Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from her fruit. And I called for a drought upon the land, and upon the mountains, and upon that which the ground bringeth forth, and upon man, and upon all cattle, and upon all the labour of the hand. When the Lord blesses, he does it not with a niggardly hand. But as the holy oil poured upon the head of Aaron, was diffused over his garments, and perfumed all the place with the fragrance of its odour, so the blessing which God bestows on the Sabbath, imparts its benign influence to all the labours, trials, and enjoyments, of the other days of the week. How very different must be the feelings of the man who believes that he has a kind father in the heavens, who knows all his neces sities, and has promised to supply all his wants in such a manner as shall be most conducive to his real happiness, from those of the man who has no faith in Providence, no trust in the Lord. To the former, every returning Sabbath brings a delightful exercise of faith, by which he is enabled to cast all his cares upon the Lord, who daily sustains him. To the latter, the day of the Sabbath also returns, but it brings no cessation of toil to his body nor comfort to his heart. Man is indeed so much under the influence of the things which affect the senses that he is in dan ger of being drawn away from spiritual objects either by prosperity or adversity, and he therefore needs some constant memorial to keep him in mind of the unceasing care and kindness of the preserver of men. The conduct of God towards the children of Israel, beautifully illustrates this. When Moses had brought them to the borders of Canaan, he called to their remembrance the never-failing mercy of God towards them; and he said, thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep the commandments or no. And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word which proceedeth out of the mouth of God doth man live.-The experience of Israel in the wilderness was the continuation of a miracle during forty years, to manifest God's regard for the Sabbath, and that his providential government is so ordered that man may and ought to keep it holy. The commandment and the promise respecting ( the sabbatical year, and the year of jubilee, are also undeniable proofs of his care that those who observe his ordinances, never suffer by their obedience. And as Jesus when he was an hungered, and tempted, would not work a miracle to relieve his necessity, but glorified his father, by trusting in his word, that a supply would be sent in the most proper season, SO neither ought man to yield to any temptation to infringe on the Sabbath, for the purpose of procuring any temporary gratification. The doctrine of the New Testament is the same with that of the Old, that man is under the care and protection of Providence. If God feed the ravens, and clothe the grass, much more will he feed and clothe his own children? And as he has set his bow in the cloud as a pledge that seed-time and harvest will continue in successon, so he has given his children his Sabbath and blessed it, to assure them that he remembers his holy covenant. When you see a poor man toiling on the Sabbath, pity him and pray for him. He is truly an object of compassion. He knows not the God of the Sabbath. The Sabbath comes loaded with blessings, but it brings no blessing to him. He has rejected the care of Providence, and he has taken all the care upon himself. He is miserable, and he has refused the kindness of the only friend that could do him good. O, the wretchedness and the folly of the infatuated man, who imagines to procure happiness by the sacrilege of the Sabbath! When you see a poor man violating the Sabbath, say to him, destroy it not, for a blessing is in it. If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the Sabbath a Delight, the Holy of the Lord, Honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. (To be continued.) ་་་་་་ ABRAHAM SHARP'S MANUSCRIPTS. (To the Editors.) I WAS much concerned to learn, by your correspondent's letter, that the library and manuscripts of this indefatigable man and pious Christian, were at present in danger of being destroyed; and I was the more surprised, as one of the first geometers of modern times is resident within a few furlongs of the house in which they are deposited; a gentleman who would, were he acquainted with the circumstance, take all practicable means for their preservation. Perhaps, however, Mr. Whitley's own engagements, as conductor of a flourishing seminary, might have drawn his attention from a subject like this; though the impression which all things taken together make upon my mind is, that your correspondent's surmise is without foundation. On the other hand, even supposing the destruction or dispersion of them likely to take place, I must confess that the loss would be much less than Viatorius Mercator's phrase, "valuable relics," leads us to suppose he thinks them. Perhaps your correspondent is not quite aware of the peculiar nature of Mr. Sharpe's inquiries; and in that case he is very likely to overrate the importance of his manuscripts. Their value must certainly not be estimated by their intrinsic utility to us; but merely by their being the imperfect remains of a man of most surprising industry and accuracy. The dependance which could be placed in his calculations rendered him a valuable assistant to the astronomers of his time, particularly to Newton, Flamsteed, and Halley; and during his immediate connection with the Royal Observatory, he no doubt rendered important services to the science by the rigid accuracy both of his instruments and observations. However, every thing relative to these subjects that could be of real utility, must have then been employed either by himself or friends, and thereby have rendered his remains of little value to succeeding ages. The tables of logarithms which he computed, and the methods he employed, have been noticed in Dr. Hutton's very valuable work on the subject; and his calculation of a few of the earlier numbers to sixty places of decimals, has deservedly found a place amongst that excellent collection. This, I believe, with the exception of a few celestial observations, is the only production of his which has escaped "the ravages of successive improvement." One of his productions, published half-anonymously, ("Geometry improved, by A. S. Philomath,") contains some ingenious speculations on the Platonic Bodies, and other figures connected with them; and is, probably, the utmost progress that had been made in those inquiries prior to the time of the Abbé Haüy. The scientific form of the Abbé's system of chrystallography, and the rising importance of the subject, has superseded all that had been effected in the geometry of solids prior to the time of Haüy, Monge, and Mohs: and who can foresee how different will be the future aspect of this science as it passes out of the hands of Woolaston, Brewster, and Levy? After all, however, the "Geometry Improved" contains some speculations well worthy of the attention of the mathematician; but it is now very scarce, and can hardly justify giving the prices that are generally put upon the work in the secondhand shops. It was Sharp's great misfortune it is the misfortune of many a man of genius-to become the mere machine of others. By approaching so near to those great luminaries he was shorn of his own brightness. In another age, or with other connections, his inquiries might have led him to the most important results, and his name have become identical with a science of his own creating; but, combined as he was with men whose genius he adored, and in aid of whose investigations he was ever ready to employ his powers, he sunk into a second-rate character; and gave the lead to others which nature seems to have destined him to take in science. I have wandered from my original intention, which was merely to suggest, that there was little danger of such a loss whilst a man so capable of estimating the value of Mr. Sharp's fragments resided so near the spot where they were; but I cannot close, without remarking that your correspondent seems to have been misinformed respecting the accumulation of food, "meal after meal," in his study. Indeed, the same thing has been said of Newton and of others, and there is reason to think its truth very questionable. A pious philosopher of any day, and especially a philosophical dissenter of that day, is a term which to many conveys an idea of necessary contradiction, or at least an unaccountable anomaly; but the character before us combined in a high degree those mental endowments which elevate the man, with those devotional feelings which form the deepest joys of the humble Christian. In both respects his conduct was exemplary and uniform; and like the incidents of his life, afforded few materials for extended biography. Your correspondent's regret, however, that there is no detached memoir of him, is without cause; for in Dr. Hutton's Mathematical Dictionary (2nd edit.) and in the second volume of the Northern Star, (Sheffield, 1818,) will be found as detailed an account of him as the scanty materials furnished by the unruffled course of such a man would enable the writer to give. A few circumstances, it is true, connected with his life as a Christian, might have been added, had they been deemed suitable to the plan of the works in which they were to be published; and on some future occasion I shall take an opportunity to send you such of them as have come to my knowledge. I am, Gentlemen, Your's very truly, T. S. DAVIES. Bristol, March 2, 1825. ORIGINAL LETTER. THE REV. JOHN NEWTON TO "Dear Sir,-I was glad to find, this morning, that when you sent your last letter you forgot to date it; so that I am not bound to know how long I have had it. And yet, alas! this will not avail me something within tells me, I ought to have answered it long ago. Well, I love you, and I ask your pardon. Now, I hope, you have forgiven me. I dare not promise to behave much better in future; for in this London I have but little time either to write or read. Only when something in a letter requires an immediate answer, I make a point of attending to it. Other letters must wait; and some I have by me have waited a twelvemonth. "I heard of you lately by Mr. Wilkinson, and I think of you often. I understand you have marriage in view. The Lord, I trust, has shown you the right person. May he bring you happily together, and bless the connection. It is a weighty business; but, when put under the management of faith, prayer, and prudence, it is a happy business. A day which will have a powerful influence upon every future day and circumstance of life, may be truly deemed important-such is the weddingday. However, I shall be glad to hear you are enroll'd in the honourable rank of husbands. It always pleases me to hear, that a minister is well married. There is something in domestic life that seems suited to improve our meetness for speaking to our people. The growing soul, as Dr. Watts speaks, when doubled in wedlock, multiplied in children, acquires a thousand new feelings and sensibilities, of which the solitary bachelor is incapable; and these teach and dispose us to feel for others, and give us an interest both in their pleasures and their pains. And this sympathising turn is a happy talent for a minister to possess it will give rim a deeper place in the hearts of his people, than some more shining accomplishments. So much for a subject of which I had no thought when I began to write. I "I beg you to present my love and respects to Mr. Lucas; likewise to Mr. Newman and Mrs. Newman, when you see them. believe I should have written to him soon after my removal, had not Mrs. Exon told me he was coming to London. "Yes, my friend, what neither you nor I expected has taken place. After being rooted sixteen years in Olney, I am transplanted into another soil. I hope it was the Lord's will, and not my own. Through mercy, I have seen no cause to repent it, but much cause to be thankful for it. All my roots and fibres felt, when I was plucked up from the people I loved; but, indeed, I had staid till I buried many of them-most of the old ones. And though there were a few young springing up-profession was growing cold, and the bulk of the town hardened under a long abuse of the means of grace. Here, my probable sphere of usefulness is much enlarged. But how changed the scene! My parish is one of the richest spots in the city.. The Lord made my entrance easy. I have had no particular opposition. Some of the parishioners hear, and some forbear; but, personally, I am treated with civility. I hope the Lord will make me useful to some of them. But my congregation is chiefly made up of volunteers from different parts of the I preach on Sunday forenoon and evening, and on Wednesday forenoon. The church is full as an egg on Sunday evenings, and the auditory reasonably large at other times. Mrs. Newton has her health better here, than she had at Olney. She remembers you affectionately. We shall be glad to see you, and always glad to hear from you, whether I can write so often as I wish, or not. town. "I request a frequent remembrance in your prayers for us. I have need of much wisdom, and much humility, in this conspicuous post. I hope my heart is in the work. My health and strength are still firm. But I consider myself as advancing in years. The night cometh. Oh, for grace to work while it is day! I hope my chief desires are, communion with my Lord, conformity to his image, activity in his service, and his blessing upon my ministry. Had I chosen for myself, London would have been one of the last places I should have thought of; but now the Lord has brought me here, I am well satisfied. May his blessing and presence be with you! I am "Your sincere and affectionate friend, "JOHN NEWTON. "Charles Square, Hoxton, "21st Nov. 1780. "My letters, in 2 vols., will be out before Christmas. The title, "Cardiphonia; or Utterance of the Heart, in Letters by Omicron.' " CASES OF CONSCIENCE IN REFE RENCE TO BANKRUPTCIES. IT is a rule amongst our brethren of the Wesleyan connexion not to allow a person who has been a bankrupt, or who has paid a composition upon his debts, to occupy the situation either of a travelling or local preacher. This regulation certainly shows a laudable concern for the credit of religion, though its necessity as an invariable law may be justly questioned, because many a person has failed in business of whose honesty no individual would entertain the slightest doubt; and surely no talent, capable of being rendered subservient to the welfare or extension of the Redeemer's kingdom, should be hid in the earth. There is a question, however, nearly allied to this, which probably demands a much greater degree of attention than it has hitherto obtained; it is this: Can a person, with any degree of propriety, be retained in church-fellowship, who, having, during some period of his life, paid a composition, and being afterwards in circumstances to discharge the whole of his debts, It would be difrefuses to do so. ficult, it is conceived, to answer this question, without a considerable degree of sophistry, any otherwise than in the negative. In cases of this nature, a legal discharge can never, to the conscience of a truly good man, be regarded |