quite at home as he visited the classes. | appeared in the high road to ruin. So The time allowed for teaching quickly passed away, and the children were to be seen quietly seated in the body of the chapel. It was usual at this school to give the children a short address before they were dismissed. On this occasion the superintendent asked the stranger if he would be kind enough to say a few words to the children; adding, that the words of a stranger would be more likely to engage their attention. The unknown visitor cheerfully consented; he came forward and spoke as follows: "My dear children, many years ago there used to be side-galleries to this place of worship; and in that corner," said he, pointing to the right, "there used to sit a little boy by the side of his mother. So sure as the sabbath came, so sure were this lad and his mother to be seen in their places in the gallery. This boy was also a scholar in the Sunday-school. His mother was a pious woman, and she used often to teach her little son to pray she would instruct him in the Scriptures, and try her utmost to lead him to love the Saviour. Although this good woman felt so great a concern for her son's eternal happiness, she was not permitted to continue her good work; she became sick, grew worse, and very shortly died. This was a severe loss to the poor little boy; his dear mother was dead, and it seemed to him as though he had lost his all; he had a father, but he was not pious, and cared little about bringing his child up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Soon after the death of this boy's mother, he was removed away to a distance; and as he advanced in years, it is sad to relate, he became a companion of unsteady youths, and very soon forgot the pious counsels of his dear mother and kind teachers. He obtained a situation in a manufactory where there were nearly fifty men employed; and these were nearly all ungodly charactersthey were swearers, drunkards, and infidels. Whilst in this unfavourable situation he very nearly lost the fear of God, and became a wicked young man; he went to great lengths in sin, and forgetful was he of the day of judgment, and its awful consequences, that he made up his mind to have a merry life if it were a short one. He had now gone so far in the downward course that there seemed no hope of him; all the good instructions which were given him in his youth appeared wholly lost. In the midst of this course of folly and sin he was seized with a severe illness. There he lay amidst his sufferings, and it became doubtful whether he would recover. He now began to reflect; he thought of death and eternity, and then on his past wicked life, and he saw how unprepared he was to meet God. He called to mind the days of his youth: he remembered his Sunday-school and his pious mother, and he felt how ungrateful and wicked he had been; he then resolved, if it should please God to spare his life, and permit him once more to enjoy his health, he would alter his whole course. The Lord, who is full of mercy, did recover him, and he kept his promise; he sought and obtained pardon, and yielded his heart and his all to Christ; he broke off from his old companions, and followed no more the way of transgressors; he soon entered the Sunday school, and found a real pleasure in the work of teaching; he continued firm in the service of God, and could truly say the ways of religion are my delight.' After some years, this once wicked, but now pious young man, had occasion to come within a few miles of his native place, and feeling a strong desire to see his old Sunday-school, he determined to pay it a visit; and here," said the stranger, as all eyes were fixed on him, The Cabinet. THINGS TO THINK ON. "If there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you," PHIL. iv. 8, 9. In the comprehensive terms here used, and in the manner in which they are enjoined, we cannot but observe the anxiety of the Apostle to promote the design of Him "who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works." Such real Christians are required to be; and it is only when they zealously devote themselves to the great purpose for which they are designed, that they can justly claim any share in the great advantages which the Redeemer hath promised to bestow. In speaking, then, of Christians who are devoted to truth, justice, gravity, and purity, and to whatsoever things are lovely, virtuous, laudable, and of good report, we observe a suitableness and propriety which must commend itself to every man's conscience in the sight of God. This, my brethren, is as it ought to be. But for a person professing himself a Christian to be guilty of lying and levity, fraud and impurity, and to indulge in dispositions and practices which are unclean, unlovely, and of evil report, is so contrary to the design and spirit of Christianity, that all such persons ought instantly to take the alarm, and renounce either their evil practices, or the Christian profession and name. To retain them, while they act so contrary to that which is required from them in the word of God, instead of benefiting them, will only increase their everlasting condemnation. Yet how many such Christians are there in the world! Should there be any such here, let me exhort you to consider your ways; and if you are determined to perish, let me beseech you, in compassion to yourselves, to endeavour to lighten that heavy load of misery which you must endure in the dreadful lake which burneth with fire and brimstone for ever and ever. Oh! that I could say anything that would be effectual in exciting you to flee from the wrath to come. But if the fearful declaration which is just made will not, nothing that can be said will make any impression. This being the case, I must turn to those who not only make a profession of the Christian name, but see something so lovely, grand, and venerable in the true Christian character, that they are sincerely labouring to cultivate and exhibit something of it in their own spirit and conduct. You see, then, your calling, and the example, next to your Saviour, which you are required to follow; and it is of great importance to yourselves, to the religion you profess, and to the world, that you sincerely and uniformly attend to it in the manner G required by St. Paul. In regard to yourselves, you have seen that without it you can have no claim whatever either to the Christian character or to the great advantages which are promised in the Gospel to the people of God. Where this is the case there can be no true happiness. To be happy, you must have the Spirit of God to bear witness with your spirits that ye are the children of God. But there can be none of this where you cannot trace out the Divine work of regeneration, faith, and sanctification in you, so as to be able by this, and the effects produced, to assure your hearts before God, as St. Paul testifies. Yes, says he, “Those things which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you." In regard to the religion you profess, an attention to what is required in the text is of great consequence, to silence the objections which a malignant world is ever ready to make against serious Christians, so that they may not have justly any evil thing to say of them. That which wicked and worldly men wish to witness is, such a conduct in the professors of religion as will confirm their prejudices against it, and enable them to denounce them all as hypocrites or enthusiasts. For this purpose they watch constantly all their movements. But if, instead of that which they expect and desire, they observe them maintain a harmless and blameless consistency of conduct, and see them conduct themselves with all that wisdom and prudence which they are required to exercise, they are obliged to renounce all their suspicions, to retract their malignant censures, and to respect the principles of those who thus honour themselves as men, and the holy profession to which they belong. Oh! how happy for religion, when all who profess it conduct themselves in such a manner as thus to put to silence the ignorant clamour of sinful and foolish men. Nothing, like this, does such honour to their Saviour, nor so surely carries conviction to the minds of his enemies. This, therefore, Jesus Christ required: "Let your light so shine before men, that they, seeing your good works, may glorify your Father who is in heaven." To shine thus as lights in the world, and to be, as the Apostle states, the epistles of Christ, seen and read of all men, has far more influence in reforming the world, and in winning sinners to Jesus Christ, than all the restraining statutes of a whole kingdom, or the most splendid eloquence. This latter may please the ear, and excite the admiration of those who are able to appreciate its worth; but the former carries with it such a convincing and restraining influence, that there are but few who will not control their passions, and maintain a respectful decency of conduct in the presence of those who are known to conduct themselves agreeably to the principles and practice of their holy profession. To this must be attributed, in a great measure, that outward change for the better, in some respects, which has been gradually advancing upon us. The world, then, is evidently bettered by the diffusion of those right principles and that correct conduct which the Gospel unfolds, and which it enjoins upon all those who lay any claim to the blessings which it promises. This being the case, who, then, are the greatest benefactors to mankind? Those who endeavour to diffuse the knowledge and practice of Christianity, or those who set themselves to oppose it? To ask these questions is to answer them. The former have so evidently the advantage in this respect, that woe be to those who continue to oppose the universal spread of the religion of Jesus Christ! Let all, then, who know the Gospel, and love the Saviour, attend very carefully to those important matters which are enjoined in the text, and be very diligent to copy the example of St. Paul, both in his zeal for the spread of true religion, and in his care to adorn his religious profession in all holy conversation and godliness. The advantages of such a conduct in regard to yourselves, your profession, and the world, you have already heard. But there is another advantage, which is of very great importance to your own comfort and happiness, and which you are taught by St. Paul to desire and expect. Yes, says he, do these things," and the God of peace shall be with you." In making this declaration to the Philippians, and through them also to us, St. Paul clearly intimates that God has a great and special regard for all those who honour him in the sight of the world. To such he hath promised not only his blessing, but to honour them with his presence, and to communicate to their souls all that grace and peace which are necessary to make them both useful and happy. More than this, and his presence for their comfort, help, and protection, while in this world, they can neither expect or desire. Of this they are assured, and on grounds that cannot be shaken. And while they continue to walk in his fear, they may expect such a constant communication of his love as will give them, through Jesus Christ, both comfort in life and assured confidence at the hour of death. This the Psalmist abundantly experienced, and nothing, surely, can be so desirable as to be able to say, in the confidence of that faith which is the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen, “ The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies; thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever." Whatever trials may overtake the Christian in his way, he is sure always to end well. He has hope in his death; he knows in whom he has believed, and feels that he is, in dying, only returning from exile to his Father's house, to go out no more for ever. "THOU FOOL." WHAT harsh language! But it is true; and the occasion requires all earnestness. If you see your neighbour's house on fire, while he is sound asleep in his bed, you do not hesitate to alarm him with the most penetrating cry that you can utter. The reason, in both cases, is of the same nature, but much stronger in the latter, because the loss of the soul is infinitely greater than that of the body; the fires of hell are much more to be dreaded than any material fire, which can only destroy property, or, at most, shorten life. But why call this man a fool? Surely he was not such in the world's estimation. He evidently possessed the wisdom of this world. He knew how to manage his farm successfully. If there was any defect in this respect, it was in not building his barns large enough at first. Often enterprising, industrious men run far before their own anticipations. Wealth flows in upon them; so that they have more than heart could wish. This man, no doubt, had laboured hard, but now thinks of taking his rest, and entering on the enjoyment of his rich possessions. He said to his soul, "Take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry." His course and his success are the very objects at which thousands are constantly aiming. How, then, was he a fool? Will not the epithet apply as truly to more than one-half the people in the world? If this were our only state of existence, it would be hard to prove the folly of such a course and such sentiments. Then men might, with some show of reason, say, "Let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we die." But if this were all of man, and death the end of existence, the scene will so soon be over, and all joys and sorrows so soon buried in eternal oblivion, that it would still be unreasonable to be solicitous about our condition. If there were no hereafter, of what account would it now be whether the thousands of millions who have inhabited this globe were sad or merry while they lived? He was a fool, as are thousands like him, because, being the creature of God, he neglected to serve him, and took no pains to secure his favour, or to arrest his wrath. The folly of this he must have felt when God spoke to him and said, "This night thy soul shall be required of thee!" Oh! what a sudden interruption of his plans of future pleasure. What! must he give up all his possessions? his fields loaded with ripe harvests, the fruit of his anxious toil? In a moment his fond dream of feasting and mirth is terminated. God, his Maker, calls for him, and none can resist his command. "And who knoweth the power of his anger?" His soul is required. His account, whether prepared or unprepared, must be rendered. "Give me an account of thy stewardship.' Show in what manner you have improved the talents committed to you. What good use have you made of the riches conferred on you? Poor, wretched man! what can he say for himself? What justification can he offer for a life of disobedience and forgetfulness of |