steady and formidable steps, till they came very near the skirts of our hearing, praying, and almost undaunted congregation. I saw, gave warning, and prayed to the Captain of our salvation for present support and deliverance. He heard and answered; for just as they approached us, with looks full of resentment, I know not by what accident, they quarrelled among themselves, threw down their staff, and went their way, leaving, however, many of their company behind, who, before we had done, I trust, were brought over to join the besieged party. İ think I continued in praying, preaching, and singing (for the noise was too great at times to preach), about three hours. We then retired to the Tabernacle, with my pockets full of notes from persons brought under concern, and read them amidst the praises and spiritual acclamations of thousands, who joined with the holy angels in rejoicing that so many sinners were snatched, in such an unexpected, unlikely place and manner, out of the very jaws of the devil. This was the beginning of the Tabernacle Society. Three hundred and fifty awakened souls were received in one day, and I believe the number of notes exceeded a thousand. But I must have done, believing you want to retire to join in mutual praise and thanksgiving to God and the Lamb, with Yours, &c.

G. W.

A SABBATH SCHOLAR IN AN INFIDEL FAMILY. WHEN on my way to this state some seven years ago, I witnessed in the city of New York,

the baptism of two elderly persons, a gentleman and his lady, who had grown grey in infidelity, and who ascribed their conversion to the following interesting circumstance.

It ought perhaps to be remarked that the gentleman had been among the most respectable lawyers in that part of the state, and had retired from the

profession on an independent property.

He had all his life been a sceptio, and had to some extent persecuted the church.

As he was sitting in his parlour one day perusing a newspaper, he observed his grand or adopted child, a Sunday-school scholar, and only seven years of age, clasp her hands as she walked across the room, and prayed with great earnestness, "God be merciful to me a sinner; create in me a clean heart, and renew a right spirit within me." Can the child be conscious of sin, said he to himself, and he called her to him, and inquired of her why she prayed so? -"Because, pa, my heart tells me that I am a sinner." The interesting incident induced a new train of thought. He was led to view man as a sinner, and to see that with whatever justice innocence might look for a reward of virtue at the hands of God, guilt could not, and that, therefore, if man is not saved by a Saviour, he must inevitably be lost. The delightful consequence was, that he was ultimately converted and made the happy instrument of the conversion of his lady, whom he had in the days of his scepticism made an infidel. The child belonged to a Sunday-school that was favoured with the constant prayer of the church with which it was connected. Shall we not pray for our Sundayschools?-Gambier Observer.

BUNHILL FIELDS BURYING GROUND.

(See Frontispiece.)

WE have selected a portion of the celebrated burying ground in the City Road, London, called "Bunhill Fields," for the frontispiece to our present volume. Our readers are probably aware that this land, belonging to the City of London, was first appropriated to its present use during the awful prevalence of the plague; after that period a lease of it was taken by

the leading metropolitan dissenters for the interment of their friends, and from that time it has been a source of large pecuniary profit to the City, and, what is of far dearer interest to us, it has become rich in the dust of eminent saints. Men of the first eminence for piety repose with the ashes of holy ministers till the morning of the resurrection. Our artist has selected the spot which presents the tomb of Bunyan to our view, and no one has more beautifully described the ascent of the Christian from the place of destruction to the celestial city.

SCRAPS FROM THE EDITOR'S PORTFOLIO. SPECIAL GIFTS OF GOD.-Let us humbly bless our heavenly Father

For the gift of his Son-John, iii. 16.

For the gift of his Holy Spirit—Luke, xi. 13.

For the gift of a new heart-Ezek. xxxvi. 26.

For the gift of inward peace through the Son of his love John, xiv. 27.

For the gift of the Holy Scriptures-2 Tim. iii. 16. For the gift of eternal life- Romans, vi. 23.

CARE FOR SOULS.-Compassion to the infinite need of our children, servants, hearers, and neighbours, demands our utmost care and labour, to raise up a spiritual seed to Jesus Christ. You, parents and masters, can scarcely look about you, in your houses, but you must see a child or servant, if not several-nor can you ministers look from your pulpits, but you behold scores or hundreds of hearers-whose souls are grievously polluted by lusts, tormented by devils, cursed and plagued by an angry God, standing upon the very brink of eternity, under a sentence of divine condemnation, without any certainty of a moment's reprieve from hell, suspended over the lake of fire and brimstone by the small thread of human life and almost outwearied patience of God. Hark, how their need ac

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costs us with an exceeding bitter cry, "Have pity on me, O my friends, for the hand of God toucheth me. perish, I perish-I for ever, for ever, perish! Have pity on me, for my sins sink me, devils drag me, and an angry God thrusts me down to the lowest hell! Ah, who shall dwell with devouring fire? Who shall dwell with everlasting burnings? Will no man, no parent, no master, no minister, care for my soul? Oh, have you no bowels, no compassion for an immortal soul? Pretend you to be Christians, while so unlike Christ? Will you not speak one word to me, or utter one groan to God, for my eternal salvation?-Brown, "On the Evil of Neglecting to raise up Spiritual Children to Christ.

PERSEVERANCE.- -My maxim has been, for many years past, to aim at great things; but if I cannot ac complish great things, to do what I can, and be thankful for the least success; and still to follow on, without being discouraged at the day of small things, or by unexpected reverses. For many years I have laid it down as a maxim to guide me, never to give up a place in despair of success. If one way does not succeed new means must be tried; and if I see no increase this year, perhaps I may the next. I almost wish to blot out the word impossible from my vocabulary, and obliterate it from the minds of my brethren.-Rev. T. Charles.

CENSORIOUSNESS. The other day I heard a respectable minister of the gospel talking about a brother minister in the same communion with himself, with great severity; and he concluded his remark with the exclamation, "Ah, he is a snake in the grass.' A venerable man remarking of another Christian minister at the same time, said, "He is as full of venom as a serpent." I have often heard, from them and others, similar expressions when talking about brethren who, perhaps, have as good a standing in the church for piety as themselves. I am always grieved to hear such language from professors of religion. 1 am sure it does not proceed from a right state of heart, and must be as displeasing to God as it is discreditable to religion. Would it not be more in accordance with the spirit of

the Gospel, if, when they discover any unchristian conduct in a brother, they would go to him in the "spirit of meekness" and affection, and point out to him "his fault, between him and thee alone," if peradventure he "might gain his brother." Infinite wisdom and benevolence have proposed this method; and surely he has learned but little of the gospel of Christ who treats it with neglect.

CHRISTIAN COURAGE.-A short time since a person called upon the Tract Missionary, who labours among seamen in New York, requesting him to go without delay to a certain house, and visit a person who was ill. The missionary went, and on entering the room where he expected to find the sick person, found it occupied by a company of gamblers, who rose from their seats, and in a peremptory manner inquired why he came there? At the same time two or three advanced to the door, closed and bolted it, and stood by it while the others surrounded the missionary, demanding the reason of his presence. He first offered each one a tract, which was received, then took out his bible and began to read, and not knowing what would follow, fell on his knees and raised his voice in prayer to Him who delivered Daniel from the mouth of the lions; while thus pouring out his heart to God, the door was thrown open, and one after another of the company went out till he was left alone, and "Jesus standing in the midst" by his Spirit, to sustain and protect him.

PRAYER FOR MINISTERS.-How sad is it that men should enhance their condemnation !—that light should come among them, and they should prefer the darkness! Should such an issue be owing to ourselves-to the nature of our prayers, or the manner of our ministrations -what occasion have we of fear and trembling, as well as of grief and lamentation! We mention the Saviour's

name; but we MAY be doing so in such a manner as only to disgrace it. We speak of his glorious perfections and of his wondrous works; but we MAY be doing so in such a manner as only to hold them forth to misrepresentation, contempt, and scorn. Brethren!