I was requested by Miss B, one of the Christian Instruction visitors, to visit a woman in her district who was dangerously ill, and who had expressed a wish to see me. I visited her on the following morning, and, to my surprise, found it was a woman who was so offended by the word of truth and love which I spoke to her on a former visit, that she scolded her landlord for suffering me to go up to her apartment, and taking offence a day or two after at something besides, removed, that she might avoid further annoyance; but, poor woman! she could not flee from sickness and death. I first knew her about two years ago. I was requested to visit her at that time by a medical gentleman, who considered her case hopeless, and who "cared for her soul." I frequently visited her, and she seemed to feel her sad state as a ruined sinner, to be penitent for her sins, and express a hope of mercy through the merits of Christ; and many promises did she make how differently she would live if she recovered. She did recover, and I lost sight of her till a few months since, when I found her still living a worldly, ungodly life, which led me to speak very faithfully to her, though I believe I spoke the truth in love; but it displeased her, and she acted as I have stated. On recovering the surprise I at first felt, I endeavoured to converse with her, but found it impossible; she was panting for breath, and could not utter a word. I therefore took my Bible, and read the 51st Psalm, remarking on it as I read. She was much affected, indeed, from my entering the room. My presence seemed to have troubled her: she appeared to recollect her former promises, and the thought could not but distress her. Having closed the Bible, I said, Well, Mrs. - I am greatly pained to find you in the state you are, so near death; and before I pray with you, do think of what I now say to you. I know how you have lived; and I beg you, don't deceive yourself by thinking that your sending for me to converse and pray with you will save you. Many do; I beseech you not to do so. Nothing can save you but the blood of Christ; and if you are saved by that, you must repent of your sins, and feel like the Psalmist, whose words you have listened to. If you do in heart repent, and trust to the work of Jesus on the cross, I can say from God's own word, 'The blood of Christ cleanseth from all sin."" Having addressed this word of caution, I prayed and left. I saw her once more, when I found her sinking very fast; and the next day she died, giving no evidence, as far as I could learn, of being the subject of faith or repentance. This case may be a warning to those who have made promises on a sick bed: "Remember to pay what thou hast vowed unto the Lord; for he hath no pleasure in fools," Eccl. v. 4, 5: It may also be a warning to any who may have shunned God's messengers, because they have spoken the truth to The Letter Box. DOINGS AT LEEDS. FELLOW-CHRISTIANS,-As many are to become consistent members of the church. perhaps little aware what not a few of the Established clergy are doing among those whom they describe as "povertystricken," I will beg your attention to the following facts. They were given to me by a "Churchman" in this neighbourhood, for the purpose of publicity; in evidence, too, that all the conforming laity are not disposed to sanction every clerical movement, any more than to bow to mere priestly authority. My Church of England friend having subscribed to a Society connected with that body, was not without many applications. Among others, George Hilla, Incumbent of St. Mary's, Leeds," honoured him with a friendly circular, dated November 15, 1847, enclosing another circular, showing the "spiritual destitution" of that district-a district said to contain " a population of 15,000 poor people," without "one resident gentleman or person of influence." The "operations" among this "poor people," including "Sunday, day, and evening week-day schools," having been set forth, the results are thus stated. The italics are those of Mr. Hills and his two curates: "1. During the past year nearly four hundred children have been recovered from Dissenting schools. "2. The congregation during the last two years has been quadrupled, two-thirds at least consisting of persons who formerly were Dissenters of various kinds, or utterly indifferent to religion. These are now devout and attentive, promising "3. A few weeks ago, out of sixtyone candidates presented to the Bishop for confirmation from St. Mary's district, (the work of a single year,) there were forty persons who had come over on conviction from the ranks of Dissent." These "results" are not only associated in the circulars referred to with "the higher and more directly appointed ordinances, such as daily service, the observation of fasts and festivals, Divine worship on the Lord's day, and the holy communion," but boasted of as proofs of "the extension of unity, piety, and devotion in the midst of a people dead, but alive again-once lost, but happily now fast recovered." Without commenting upon a use of Scripture language so very objectionable, if not profane, it may be observed how "daily service, and the observance of fasts and festivals," are mixed up with "Divine worship on the Lord's day," and the "communion," as iƒ all were of Divine appointment; whereas the latter only have the authority of God. We must go elsewhere than to his perfect word for the appointment of "daily service," and "fasts and festivals." Against this species of Jesuitism who can be too vigilant? In the instance before us, however, the attempt to obtain "help from devout Churchmen," "those who take a deep interest in the recovery to the Church of her due influence," failed, as will appear from the following answer, dated November 29, to Mr. Hills' com munications. I transcribe it from the copy kept by the author, and in his own handwriting: "Rev. Sir, I have to acknowledge the receipt of a circular signed by you on the subject of the spiritual destitution of the district of St. Mary's, Leeds.' "It is not very long since that the Rev. Dr. Hook put forth a similar statement as to the whole town of Leeds, which was the subject of much comment at the time. "There are, doubtless, varieties of opinion as to what spiritual destitution may mean; and though a Churchman, I cannot call any place spiritually destitute where there are places of worship belonging to Dissenters, holding and teaching the fundamental truths of the gospel, "I should not have troubled you with this communication had it not been to advise you, by all means, to obliterate from your circular the three different results of the operations, so far as relates to the data you give with regard to Dissenters; for this appears so thoroughly inconsistent with the plea of spiritual destitution, that it tends, in many ways, only to injure the cause you seek to advocate. "Had the statement been of the recovery of four hundred children from the schools of the Papists-of your congregation being increased at least two-thirds by those who formerly were Papists, or utterly indifferent to religion -and of the confirmation of forty persons who had come over on conviction from the ranks of the Romanists, or been reclaimed from those destitute of all religion, living alike without God or hope in the world-here would have been a subject and plea suited far THE BURIAL SERVICE. FELLOW CHRISTIANS,—I shall now, according to promise, proceed to tell you a few more plain truths respecting your burial service and its tendencies. There lived, in the early part of the last century, a Duke of Buckingham, who was a notorious infidel. Like all other dukes, and all other infidels, he died and was buried. No one could have prevented him from dying; and, when dead, no one ought to have wished to prevent his burial. But what kind of a service do you think should have been performed at his interment? Was it right, was it reasonable, was it decent, to use the same service to atter the same words to argument against the system of patroprofess to cherish the same hopes-and nage that would put such a man into to return the same thanks, at the bu- such an office. Was he a believer? rial of an infidel as at the burial of a Then see here an argument still more Christian? Yet so it was; and though powerful against the system that would common sense was outraged, and reli- | compel such a man to violate his congion scandalized, and God mocked, science, by saying, both to God and and infidelity patronised and promoted man, what he did not believe to be by the proceeding, still it was done, true. and a bishop did it. This act of absurdity and hypocrisy led PRIOR, who was himself a courtier and a church-infidels, was not confined to the last man, to write the following lines: "ON BISHOP ATTERBURY'S BURYING THE But the performance of this solemn mockery at the interment of avowed century. For many years there lived in London a notorious infidel of the Tom-Paine school, whose name was Richard Carlile. In February, 1848, this poor unhappy blasphemer died, 'In sure and certain hopes," the pr late and his body was taken for interment to the Kensal-green Cemetery. One cries. say, man, Of these two learned peers, I prithee of your bishops had performed the popish ceremony of consecration on that Who is the lying knave-the priest or part of the ground in which the body layman? The Duke he stands an infidel confest; 'He's our dear brother,' quoth the lordly priest. was to be interred, and so, of course, none but a church clergyman was allowed to inter it. Had one of our mi The Duke, though knave, still brother nisters officiated at such a funeral, he dear' he cries, most likely would have sought to im And who can say the reverend prelate prove the solemn occasion, by uttering lies?" In calling an infidel his brother, perhaps the bishop did not lie; and yet, for all that, it would require more sophistry than I can command, to show that he was not "the lying knave." If he himself was an infidel, then every time he read the service he stood up before God and solemnly declared what he did not believe. If he was not an infidel, then he could not be lieve that the man who lived and died one was gone to heaven. In either case he stands convicted as a " lying knave." Which alternative do you choose? Was Bishop Atterbury an infidel? Then see here a powerful words of warning to the spectators, and by earnest prayer to God that they might be led to seek, through faith in Christ, the salvation of their souls, and preparation for death. But your minister read at the grave of this infidel precisely the same words as he would have read if the person to be interred had been one of the most devoted Christians that ever died in the bosom of the church. But, perhaps, he did not know that he was burying an infidel? He knew it perfectly well; for the poor sceptic himself, seeing the outrageous hypocrisy that must be practised by such a proceeding, desired that the service might not be read at his funeral; and three of his sons, one after another, went to the chaplain, and requested that their father's desire might be attended to, assuring him that he died as he had lived-a confirmed and avowed infidel. The clergyman, no doubt, felt the awk-menced proceedings against the clerwardness of his position, and saw the impiety of the course he was about to pursue; but, bound hand and foot by ecclesiastical law, he said "he must do his duty;" and he did it. The sons, scorning to give countenance to a proceeding so manifestly absurd, retired from the spot, and left the chaplain to go on with the mockery amid “the ribald jokes of a few stragglers at a short distance." And do you wonder that godless men should indulge in ribald jokes" at such a farce? Do you wonder that such a proceeding should confirm sceptics in their belief, that all religion is imposture, and that all professing Christians are hypocrites or fools? How long do you mean to countenance such a caricature of Christianity? How long do you mean to sanction such an outrage on decency, reason, and sense? When, when will you rise, jealous for the honour of true religion, and tear off the rags by which she has been disfigured, and wipe away the spots by which she has been disgraced? that he could not conscientiously read the whole of the service at his burial, and consequently he omitted these words-" As our hope is this our brother doth." The surviving family took offence at the omission, and com In the year 1844, the Rev. J. F. Todd, clergyman of the parish of Liskeard, was called on to bury one of his parishioners in the burying-ground of the parish church. Mr. Todd had learned, on what he believed to be unquestionable authority, that the deceased had "died in a state of intoxication." Knowing that the Bible had declared, that "no drunkards shall inherit the kingdom of God," he felt gyman. A commission was issued by the Bishop of Exeter, in whose diocese the circumstance occurred, appointing certain parties to investigate the case. The commission sat, and the point was proved that the said omission had been made. A case was thus made out for further proceedings; but these were stayed by Mr. Todd's consenting to abide by the judgment of his diocesan. The bishop accordingly repaired to the chapter-house, and delivered his sentence; in the course of which he made the following declaration:-" Even if the deceased had died in a state of intoxication, however his minister may have lamented it; however it may have impaired the hope of his having been admitted to rest in Christ; yet it ought not, on just consideration of the terms of the Christian covenant, to have extinguished that hope, much less to have induced him to proclaim or even to suggest the extinction of it." Now, here the bishop admits that the minister's hope with regard to the drunkard might be impaired; and yet compels him, on pain of heavy costs and penalties, to declare his hope just as if t had not been impaired at all. Can you think of anything more cruel to a conscientious clergyman, than thus to make him violate his conscience and contradict the Bible? And why is he compelled to profess a hope he does not cherish? Because it is “the pious and charitable hope of the church.” And why does this pious and charita |