SCRAPS FROM THE EDITOR'S PORTFOLIO.

THE PREACHING OF JONAH.-"The men of Nineveh repented at the preaching of Jonah.”—Luke, xii. 15.

Jonah was but one man, and he preached but one sermon, and it was but a short sermon either, as touching the number of words, and yet he turned the whole city, great and small, rich and poor, king and all. We be many preachers here in England, and we preach many long sermons, and yet the people will not repent nor convert. This was the fruit, the effect, and the good, that his sermon did, that the whole city, at his preaching, converted and amended their evil living, and did penance in sackcloth. And yet here, in this sermon of Jonah, is no great curiousness, no great clerk. liness, no great affectation of words, nor of painted eloquence; it was none other but "Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be destroyed !" It was no more. was no great curious sermon, but this was a nipping sermon, a pinching sermon, a biting sermon; it had a full bite; it was a rough sermon, and a sharp, biting sermon. Do you not here marvel that these Ninevites cast not Jonah into prison; that they did not revile and rebuke him? They did not revile him nor rebuke him; but God gave them grace to hear him, and to convert and amend at his preaching. A strange matter, so noble a city to give place to one man's sermon !-Bp. Latimer, 1530.

This

ABROAD AND AT HOME.-A gentleman who had been active in aiding a missionary collection, was met the following day by one of different habits, who chided him with the folly of which he deemed him guilty, in giving to such an object, and in such profusion. was folly, he said, to be sending heaps of money abroad, to be spent, no one knew how, while there were so many unemployed starving poor of

poor of

"I will give £- to the an equal sum," said the Christian friend.

It

if you will give

"I did not

mean that," replied the objector; " but," continued he, "if you must. go from home, why so far?

H H

Think of

the miserable poor of Ireland." "I will give £- to the poor of Ireland, if you will do the same." "I did not mean that either," was the reply. No, it is neither this nor that, which this class of objectors exactly mean; but simply to veil their covetousness by blaming the proceedings of liberal men, whom, if they did not condemn, they must, for very shame, in some degree imi

tate.

THE BETRAYED.-Those malicious heads are laid together in the house of Caiaphas. Happy had it been for them if they had spent but half those thoughts upon their own salvation, which they misemployed upon the destruction of the innocent. At last this results, that force is not their way: subtilty and treachery must do that which should be vainly attempted by power. Who is so fit to work this feat against Christ as one of his own ? There can be no treason where there is not some trust. Who so fit among the domestics as he that bare the bag, and overloved that which he bare? That heart which hath once enslaved itself to sordid pelf may be made anything. That crafty and malignant spirit which presided in that bloody council hath easily found out a fit instrument for this hellish plot. If Judas were Christ's domestic, yet he was Mammon's servant. He is but in his trade while he is bartering even for his Master: ،، What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you?" well, O Saviour, "I have chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil ?"-Bishop Hall.

Saidst thou not

THE GOODNESS OF GOD. May not the love and bounty of God be likened unto the sun, the source of all earthly good? And man unto the humble flower which springs up from earth? For the shower which bears it down and veils it in tears, is but to strengthen it and prepare it for the gush of holy light which succeeds. Keeping in mind this comparison, may we not bear cheerfully and with gratitude the trials with which we are sometimes bowed down, while considering they are but in order to renew our strength, and to fit us for the glorious light of the kingdom to come.

LOVE OF THE BRETHREN.-Bishop Griswold made the following remarks in his official address to the convention of the episcopal church which lately met in New Hampshire. Would that the spirit he recommends were every where prevalent.

Permit me again to remind you of what is, in my judgment, too generally neglected, the duty of loving those who love the Lord Jesus Christ, of blessing God for all the good which others do, and cultivating union, harmony, and love, among all Christian people, which is more than burnt offerings and sacrifices. This is not, what pride or bigotry may call it, coaxing or flattering others to be of our persuasion; it is obeying the gospel; it is following the example of the apostles, and doing more to promote religion than a thousand arguments, or an age of contention. To love those who love our Saviour, and because they love him, is the best evidence that we are his.

In speaking of other Christians you cannot be too cautious not to be uncharitable, nor injure religion. What we can with truth, and seasonably, say in their praise, will generally have a good effect. To speak of their faults seldom does any good, and has almost always some bad effect upon ourselves or upon others. Let us not boastingly compare ourselves with others, but think much of our own faults. If other Christians are sometimes unhappily divided, let us "not be high-minded, but fear;" let us pray to God to unite and bless them, and let us take heed to ourselves to avoid the folly of needless contention."

ATUNNEL.-A deacon in-went to his minister, and professing to speak the sentiments of the congregation, began to complain of his style of preaching. "I do not say these things for myself," said the deacon; "I am not all dissatisfied; but the people are very uneasy, and I am afraid we shall have trouble." "How is it," inquired the pastor, "that you hear all these complaints? No other member of the church seems to be so familiar with them as you are." "O," said the deacon, "they all know that I am on terms of intimacy with you, and