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ON THE COMFORT AND CONSOLATION OF

PRAYER.

THE beginnings of the prayers of our Church are well worthy of our attention, and always are suited to the spirit of the prayer which is to follow By directing us to think of the power, the wisdom, the goodness, and the mercy of God, they are calculated to excite in us reverence, and gratitude, and love. Great are the consolations of Prayer; it will soothe our sorrows, by encouraging us to place our entire dependance upon the wisdom and mercy of God; for He knoweth what is best for us; and, while He chasteneth, thinketh upon mercy. It is by prayer, that the weakest Christian may receive strength, and the most fearful, consolation. The prayers of the Church are well adapted to all ages, and all situations. We may remark, too, that they end as scripturally as they begin, offering up all our petitions in the name and through the merits of our Redeemer. It is through Him alone that our petitions are acceptable to God; it is through Him, that we are enabled to pour forth our griefs, and tell out our sorrows unto God in prayer. We have, moreover, blessings every day to be thankful for; and, besides our temporal blessings, when we reflect upon the unspeakable and eternal joys of Heaven, obtained for us by Him who is always interceding in our behalf, and mediating between the Creator and his creatures, we are lost in wonder, astonishment, and love, and our emotions become too strong for expression.--Let not the advantages we possess, and the hopes we enjoy, by means of prayer and supplication, be lost upon us; but let them induce us to endeavour to aim at such behaviour, as may show that we are not satisfied with the outward form of godliness only; but let it show that its inward power elevates our souls above this present world, and leads us to fix our thoughts upon our

heavenly abode.

Let us dwell often upon the mercies of our God; and, while we wonder, let us tremblingly adore; and above all, let us shew the sincerity of our prayers, by the purity of our lives, and by our constant endeavours to act up to what we ask. M. W. W.

HYMN ON CHARITY.

Blest is the man whose soft'ning heart,
Melts at another's pain:

To whom the supplicating eye

Is never rais'd in vain.

Whose breast expands, with gen'rous warmth,

A stranger's woes to feel;

Who bleeds in pity o'er the wound,

He wants the pow'r to heal.

Who spreads his kind supporting arms

To ev'ry child of grief:

Whose secret bounty largely flows

And brings unask'd relief.

On him, thy peace, O Lord, descends,
In blessings from above;
Blest is the man, who thus fulfils
The perfect law of love.

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If in something we transgress,
And are tempted to deny,

Conscience says, “your fault confess ;"
Do not dare to tell a lie.

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The following Letter and Directions have been sent to us from the county of Haddington, in Scotland, by an unknown Correspondent.

To the Editor of the Cottager's Monthly Visitor.

SIR,

THESE directions have already been published, but the books are too expensive for many of your readers. If you can publish them in your useful Work, I think that they will be generally dispersed, and prove beneficial to the Cottagers.

Some years ago I sent the Directions for the Cottage Garden to the publisher of the Cheap Magazine at Haddington, which I do not imagine found its way to the English Cottager.-The excellent method of boiling potatoes cannot be too well known.

Directions for the Management of a Cottager's Garden, of Twenty-five Poles of Ground.

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February, third or fourth week, sow peas and beans; plant early cabbages, likewise greens and late cabbages.

March, second or third week, plant early potatoes, likewise some late ones, and the remainder in April. In the third or fourth week sow leeks and onions, carrots and turnips, and sow some early sugar-loaf cabbage seed, for summer and autumn

use.

April, from the beginning to the end, sow peas, and also beans.

May, first or second week, plant early cabbages. July, first or second week, plant greens for winter use, in any ground from which early crops have been gathered.

August, third or fourth week, sow early cabbages, greens, and late cabbages to plant out in the Spring.

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GENERAL OBSERVATIONS.

In dry and warm weather, take care to water the seed-beds and plants lately moved; secure the seedbeds and peas from birds; destroy insects; and thin out the crops in the seed-beds, if too thick.

At all times keep your garden clean from weeds, especially your crops of carrots and onions. Cut only a small part of potatoes with eyes for planting; the remaining part may be saved for use. Two eyes in each set are enough.

Dig the ground as soon as the autumn crops are taken off; lay it up in ridges, that it may have the benefit of the frost.

It is of great benefit to keep bees. Three hives are often worth as much as your rent: and the attention which they require occupies but little time. They should be well watched when they are swarming, and the hives should be protected against the snow in winter, and the great heats in summer.

The produce of the garden will be in proportion to the care taken of it; do not waste any thing that can be converted into manure.

Keep the pig-sties clean; the cleaner pigs are kept, the more they improve, and the garden is the more enriched. To the collection of dung from the sties, add the decayed leaves of the vegetables, and what the hogs will not eat; such as the soot and ashes from the chimney and fire, the suds from the washing tub, the sweepings from the floors of the house, cuttings of weeds from the side of the roads, with all other articles which will make manure. Thus, at the same time that every thing about you is kept clean and tidy, you will be well paid for your care.

The dung should be kept in a hollow place; this keeps the richness from running away, and prevents dirt at the same time.

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