heart was roused, as the author hurried me on from scene to scene. The world, all around me, was forgotten, so completely was my attention absorbed by the animating events that passed rapidly before me. As the plot thickened, and the narrative was coming to a close, my feelings were wrought up to a painful pitch of anxiety; my heart beat so heavily as to shake the book in my hand, suspense became agonizing; with the avidity of a famished tiger, my mind seized upon each successive thought, as my eye passed swiftly over the printed page. The author, with a master's hand, gives the finishing touch to his interesting story. I wept, my feelings, like pent-up waters, got vent. I resigned myself to the pleasant and excited emotions that, like a torrent, bore me away, and was already beginning to play fondly with the gilded creations of my own fancy, suggested by the tale I had just read, when, in laying my arm on the table, my hand, which the eye mechanically followed, rested on the Bible. Had an adder stung me, or a dagger pierced my heart, I do not know that I should have started more suddenly. An adder did sting me; and that adder was the thought, how indifferently and coldly do I read that holy book! Here, said I, I have been reading with intense interest, and weeping over scenes and events which I knew to be false and unimportant, whilst often with a cold heart and tearless eye I read in this book the account of facts that involve, not only my own, but the eternal destiny of the whole world -facts of so much moment, that angels hushed their shouts, and gazed upon them with voiceless amazement-facts of such dreadful import, that the dark brow of demons gathered a still darker shade of despair and malignity, as they looked upon them from the dungeons of their eternal prison-house. I felt guilty; not so much for having allowed my feelings to be carried away by a tale of fiction, as for

the indifference with which I too often read my bible, which sin was set before me in a most clear light by the present circumstances. I looked at my bible, prayed that I might properly estimate its sacred truths, felt a closer approach to my Saviour, and held with a firmer grasp to my only hope, giving to the winds novels and romances, which but feed a sickly fancy, and prepare men to live in the world, not as it is, but as the wicked, disordered imagination of tale-telling mercenaries would make it.

I then thought of the debasing effects of this species of composition on what might be called the literature of this country; that every newspaper came hot from the press, and teeming with the wild imaginings of scribbling candidates for fame; that travels, books of science, &c., are unbought and unread, unless highly spiced with fancy and novelty ; that the plain, matter-of-fact, practical principles of the bible-O, shame-are beautified, and rendered more palatable to the tastes of men, by the colourings of imagination and a little sprinkling of falsehood, labelled "Pious Tales," &c. With regard to the last, I asked myself if this was not borrowing the drapery of a demon to adorn and set off the beauty and glory of an angel? LOVEL.

CHRISTIAN HOLINESS.

Sentences from a Sermon, taken from the lips of the late Rev. Rowland Hill, A.M.

"We shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is."- John, iii. 2.

HOLINESS is a divine principle from God, and can only be received from God, and communicated to his intelligent creature, man. God forbid that we should

preach holiness as a thing within our own acquire

ment.

Do mind your characters, beloved. Ye are the salt of the earth; and again, ye are the lights of the world. Faith is the divine instrument, in the hands of God, to purify the hearts of men. Hope may be beautifully represented as the daughter of Faith, and naturally springs out of it. I may believe in many things that I do not hope for. Faith represents divine realities as laid up for me: Hope goes out after them. I have told you before how much I am delighted with an old puritanical phrase, calling religion a work of grace upon the soul. How little people know of this when they continue inactive in the feelings of their own minds. I want to read the word of God with delight, to have my attention arrested while I read; then I want faith and hope in it and going out after it. Love is the casket that contains a thousand other jewels. "Tis a fine thing to have an attentive, serious, upright mind, created in us by God himself. God's people cannot help being holy, while his good spirit dwells within them and creates holy feelings within them. I would not preach another sermon-I would give it all up-if I did not believe in the doctrine of regeneration. What a high strain of holiness belongs to Christianity! "Come out from among them." Never mind being called singular; you are to be a peculiar people; "and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and I will receive you," &c. I am wonderfully surprised at my bible; 'tis a charming book. "It doth not yet appear what we shall be." I think, when I get to heaven, the first ten thousand years will be taken up in wonder and astonishment; the next thing, "I shall be like him." What can make glory more complete? That is my heaven upon earth, to be like him. Don't take the work out of God's hands,

and try to sweep your own dirty hearts clean; but give him your hearts. God grant you may all be made as yielding clay in the potter's hands! God grant we may give ourselves into the hands of Christ, that he may model us and make us like himself. He does this work by affliction, &c.; these are his different tools; but, in general, by the still work of his grace. Those are marked for heaven that alone are marked with the image of Christ upon their souls. I want Christians to shew by their outward appearance that they are marked for God. Do pray that you may go home with a solemn impress of the mind of God upon your souls. Beholding, as in a glass, the glory of the Lord, we are changed into the same image.' "He that hath this hope, purifieth himself," &c. I find it so. We can no more go after the fooleries of this world, and delight in them, than the cleanly bird could dwell with dirty swine.

66

RELIGION AND MUSIC.

ONE of the most interesting anecdotes, illustrating the power of music, was some time ago related in a social meeting by an English clergyman, who was acquainted with the facts.

was a

A nobleman of great wealth, Lord man of the world; his pleasures were drawn from his riches, his honours, and his friends. His daughter was the idol of his heart. Much had been expended in her education; and well did she repay, in her intellectual endowments, the solicitude of her parents. She was highly accomplished, amiable in her disposition, and winning in her manners. They were all strangers to God. At length Miss attended a methodist chapel in London, was deeply awakened, and soon happily converted. Now she delighted in the service of the sanctuary and social

religious meetings. To her the charms of Christianity were overpowering; frequenting those places where she met with congenial minds, animated with similar hopes, she was often found in the house of God.

The change was marked by her fond father with awful solicitude. To see his lovely daughter thus infatuated was to him occasion of deep grief, and he resolved to correct her erroneous notions on the subject of the real pleasures and business of life. He placed at her disposal large sums of money, hoping she would be induced to go into the fashions and extravagances of others of her birth, and leave the methodist meetings; but she maintained her integrity. He took her on long and frequent journeys, travelling in the most engaging manner, in order to divert her mind from religion; but she still delighted in the Saviour. After failing in many projects, which he fondly anticipated would be effectual in subduing the religious feelings of his daughter, he introduced her into company under such circumstances that she must either join in the recreation of the party, or give high offence. Hope lighted up the countenance of this infatuated but misguided father, as he saw his snare about to entangle in its meshes the object of his solicitude. It had been arranged among his friends, that several young ladies should, on the approaching festive occasion, give a song, accompanied by the pianoforte. The hour arrived the party assembled. Several had performed their parts, to the great delight of the party, which was in high spirits. Miss --was now called on for a song, and many hearts now beat high in hope of victory. Should she decline, she was disgraced; should she comply, their triumph was complete. This was the moment to seal her fate. With perfect self-possession she took her seat at the pianoforte, run her fingers over