service; and rather praised God for what was saved, than repined at what was spent; it being above his expectations, that deliverance which God gave him out of his enemies' hands. He might have had many advantages by the spoil of his enemies, which was often brought in, and by other encroachments upon the country, which almost all the governors, on both sides, exacted every where else, but his heart abhorred it; all prize the soldiers had, and he never shared it; all malignants' goods the committee disposed of; and it ever grieved his heart to see the spoiling of his neighbours, how justly soever they deserved it; but he chose all loss, rather than make up himself by violence and rapine. If in a judicial way he was forced at any time in discharge of his trust to sign harsh orders against any of the gentlemen of the country, it was with grief that they should deserve such severity; but this testimony is truth of him, that he never, in the whole of his actings in this cause, prosecuted any private interest, either of revenge, ambition, avarice or vain glory, under a publick vizard, but was most truly publick spirited. Conscience to God, and truth and righteousness according to the best information he could get, engaged him in the party he took: that which engaged him carried him through all along, though he encountered with no less difficulties and contradictions from those of his own party that were not of the same spirit as he was, than from his enemies."

Such must ever be the fate of a good man who takes part with villany even in a good cause-but if the Parliament's cause had ever been a good one, it was fast ceasing to be so. The mistakes of his generals, the falseness of his friends, and his own weakness and misjudgment, had ruined the king's affairs. His enemies, elated with success, now showed other motives and designs than they began with. The Presbyterians having forgotten the piety and devotion with which they set out, most of those who had been honest in their religion, separated from them, calling themselves Independents, and were

as much persecuted and oppressed by the Presbyterians as ever themselves had been by the Episcopalians. The army in which Cromwell had then a command, growing ambitious by success, was becoming formidable even to the Parliament that employed them: and the scene of confusion and iniquity, equal now, perhaps, on all sides, was shortly to be consummated by the death of the defenceless monarch.

Our limits do not allow us to relate all the adventurous circumstances of Colonel Hutchinson's government of Nottingham Castle, from which he was only released by the complete triumph of the Parliament party; when every danger from the king's armies seeming to be passed, he was returned member for the county, and went to London to serve his country in parliament.

(To be continued.)

REFLECTIONS

ON SELECT PASSAGES OF SCRIPTURE.

Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?-LUKE ix. 54.

evil of it.

to resent it

to be angry.

:

SIN is the legitimate object of our hatred-and in proportion to the love we bear to him whom it offends, to bim whom it crucified, will be our susceptibility of the But it is one thing to hate sin, and another it is one thing to be sorrowful, and another The impatience and irritability with which we are apt to regard the misdeeds of others, the bitterness with which we speak of them, and the contempt we cast upon the sinner, have all too much of human feeling in them. God indeed is said to be angry with the sinner -he has good right to be so. But surely with us it is otherwise. We, sinners ourselves-and if not withheld by divine grace, sinners equally, sinners even more perhaps than they; are we to kindle into wrath against our fellows, fret ourselves to impatience, and pour forth

words of bitterness, under colour of a zeal for our Maker's glory? Indifference to any thing that offends him, would ill indeed become us. But sorrow is a feeling very distinct from anger. Sorrow is gentle and subdued-sorrow casts her eye upon the ground, makes soft her voice and few her words, ungirds her sword and takes the sackcloth in the stead of steel. While the eye kindles and the forehead glows, and the eager bosom swells, however great the wrong, we do not call it sorrow. No, let us take heed to the spirit we are of it becomes us to go softly all the days of our live. Let us mourn, let us pray over the depravity of human nature-but never forgetting it is our nature, let us forbear to invoke a vengeance, which if it fall where it is due, will too surely light on our own heads.

My Lord delayeth his coming.-LUKE Xii. 45.

WE hear complaints many and loud of the shortness of our days and the fleetness of time, and the treacherous rapidity with which the hours steal by us. But when death, and eternity, and the coming of our Lord to judgment are to be considered, the space grows out to almost interminable length. There is time enough for every folly, for every earthly project—and when these are done, there will be time enough still to repent and make our peace with heaven. Our Lord delays his coming. Alas! most improvident servant! how many years already has he delayed it, and those years are gone. You com

plain that they went so fast and were gone so soon-will those that are coming stay longer? At least be wise enough to do the most important business first-see you be ready for your Lord, and then if he indeed delays, if you indeed have so much time for other matters, there will be less danger in the minding of them. Alas! what madness is there in us, that we who are always feeling and bewailing the brevity of time, should fancy there is so great a superfluity of it when our eternal interests are at stake.

Take up your cross daily and follow me.-LUKE ix. 23. "MAN is born to trouble as the sparks fly upward," and ، many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivereth him out of all." In this verse, Luke ix. 23, we may suppose our blessed Lord addressing himself to every believer, and every word seems fraught with meaning. "Do not wait for the heavy hand of God to reduce your stubborn soul to compliance, but take up the cross yourself-willingly-knowing what I, who bore thy sins in my own body on the tree, voluntarily underwent for thy sake; do not take it up and then cast it from thee in a moment, and say, 'It is too hard for me; who can bear it?'-but take it up and bear it ; carry it, endure it patiently.” Thou art called to suffering, fancy not that any temptation hath taken thee that is not common to thy fellow-travellers: bear up with resignation as seeing Him who is invisible; look to the crown that is set before thee, look not at thyself, but at Him in whom thou art strong,look at His strength as thy strength, and go forth; take up the cross, and thou shalt conquer, as is thy day so shall thy strength be. The cross'-As various as are the tempers, situations, and circumstances of men, so various are their crosses: high and low, rich and poor, learned or unlearned, young or old in the school of Christ, advanced or backward in spirituality, to all there are crosses, and therefore take up your cross, whatever it may be; take it up, O wavering soul, and kiss the rod that chastens thee. The Lord knoweth that you are but a man, and therefore will not lay upon you more than you are able to bear. Your high priest is one who can be touched with the feelings of your infirmities, and therefore helps you when ready to fall. He it is who takes your feet out of the miry clay and sets them again upon the rock. He mixes your cup for you, and hence, though not called 'daily' to the severest trials, you must be willing daily to endure whatever he shall see fit to lay upon you. You must keep your lamp trimmed-you

know not when and where the roaring lion will attack you. Watch, therefore, O slumbering soul, walk in the fear of the Lord all the day long, thy God encourages thee with a blessing. 'Blessed is the man that feareth always.' Not only bear all this, but besides 'follow me' in it all; bear it as I did, as a 'lamb' without murmuring, without repining-'dumb,' except to say, 'It is the Lord, let him do as seemeth him good,' nevertheless, not my will but thine be done."Follow me' in my willingness and cheerfulness, not only in suffering and bearing indignity, and reproach, and death, without the gate, but in my manner, not rendering railing for railing, but contrariwise blessing-forgiving my enemies and praying for them. Follow me.' Who? Jesus Christ, the anointed of the Father, the Son of God, the express image of his person; God himself!" O, what am I called to! to tread in the footsteps of the Almighty! to be a son of God! and joint heir with Christ! What an high calling! Light up thy image, O Lord, to my soul, and renew me with thy Holy Spirit; then, O then, will I run the way of thy commandments, and take up my cross and follow thee!

S.

Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

MATTHEW v.

WE think ourselves disposed to show the great instances of mercy when we perceive ourselves inclined to pardon great injuries, when, perhaps, it is either because the opportunities for it are at a distance, or because there may be honour in doing it and danger in the contrary. But as for those little instances of mercy, which we have every day many opportunities of showing, by reason of aversions, peevish, troublesome, contradicting, and unequal humours, light offences, small differences, &c., with how much difficulty do we exercise them, if we do it at all. QUESNEL.