matize the sinner. The lover of pleasure will ask you to draw the line, but he knows it has been drawn already; and while challenging you to show him any harm in the card-table or the ball-room, he will smile at the falseness of your professions, if you countenance such pursuits by mingling in them. It may be urged that the world has a right to ridicule any one who is so insincere as to join in pursuits which he professes to believe are wrong. Undoubtedly this is a sufficient reason, but it is not the only one; for I have known Christians who have dared to walk on the controverted ground without apparently thinking it wrong; and I have heard them called inconsistent, not because they themselves believed in the sinfulness of their practices, but because they had passed to the worldly side of the generally received line of demarcation.

And are the children of God perfectly aware of this? Are they not too ready to make their conscience the only guide of their actions, and to despise the opinions of others? In these days, Christians too often seem to forget that the only end of obedience is the glory of God; they appear to think that if they in sincerity obey the commands of their Saviour, it matters not in what light they appear to those around them. Nor would it matter if the world censured them as individuals, but its scorn passes them, to rest with unmitigated severity on the holy name they bear. Nor is the reproach they bring on that name the only evil; the harm they do to their weaker brethren is equally unattended to, nor can we wonder that those who heed not the command of God to glorify him in their bodies and their spirits, should turn a deaf ear to the denuncia

tion of "woe" which he has pronounced on him by whom offences come.

If resting on their own opinion of their harmless pursuits, they yet continue in the practice of them, -if trifling with the forbearance of God, they still remain unconcerned at the reproach they cast on his name, or the harm they do his people; let them beware that He leave them not to the influence of that heart and that world which have already seduced them, until they call forth his wrath in the sentence he pronounced on his people-" Ephraim is joined to idols-let him alone."

August 30.

C. T. P.

[WE have one fault to find with the above communication, in which we think that our readers will agree: -it is too short. The subject is of great and growing importance; for no one can avoid perceiving how dangerous and successful a snare Satan spreads for the feet of God's people, in enticing them to be conformed to this world. It may be traced through all ranks of society; but it is most frequent in those to which the humbler classes of Christians are taught to look up. We say, of Christians, for it is only among those who are divinely taught to "fear God," that we may now venture to look for the principle that renders honour, where honour is due, to their fellow creatures.-Whatever tends to check this evil practice of worldly conformity, has a direct and forcible bearing upon the cause of Christ on earth; and we shall be glad to make our pages the vehicle of farther communication upon a topic so interesting. Does our Correspondent carry with him the unani

mous concurrence of all professing Christians, when he decidedly pronounces that chess is innocent'? We believe it to be pretty generally conceded among pious people; but surely there are some who, upon his own admission that it serves to waste the time, and try the temper,' will pause before they stamp it with the broad seal of approval; inclining perhaps, rather to rank it among things that may be lawful, but rarely expedient. It is sometimes felt to be a thief, by those who, coming to an evening party of pious friends, with the anticipation of being improved and instructed by the conversation of some enlightened minister, have had to endure the disappointment of seeing him seated at the chess-board and, apparently, as much wrapped up in the fascinations of the game as he would be in the important duty of his pulpit ministrations. We plead guilty to the charge of having wasted hours innumerable over it, long since we learned to fly the card-table: but not guilty of it, since, with grieved heart, we have been able to trace the evil consequences of a fellowship commenced many years ago over the chessboard, between a clergyman of high station in the Church, and an artful, zealous Papist; who, in his turn, introduced a no less zealous and artful Socinian to the same privilege, on the ground of his being an excellent hand at chess.' We would not presume to denounce that as inconsistent, which the almost general voice of the religious world declares to be innocent;' but our own view of the matter cannot be altered; and we have found it no small advantage to be ready with this reply, to those who have proposed the question stated by our correspondent.

Then, with regard to dancing; an incident occurs

to mind that will serve to illustrate that also. Our readers may rely on the fact being stated from personal knowledge; but it shall be given in a less personal form than the preceding.

A lady, who well knew the gospel, was placed in trying circumstances, under the roof of an unspeakably beloved relation, who had greatly resisted what he considered to be merely opinions, founded on enthusiastic or mistaken views. He entered with much zest into the gaities of social life, as they are called, while keeping within the strict pale of morality. He loved dancing; his sister had loved it too; and he conceived it a strange and absurd thing that she should abstain from what appeared in his eyes so perfectly innocent. Still he highly approved consistency of practice: and when he had become better acquainted with the beautiful rule of a Christian life, he would say, I do not complain of the standard that you religious people set up; but I blame you for coming so far short of it: you should not profess what you cannot attain to.'

About this time, some giddy, worldly friends, had resolved to entrap the lady into attending a private but very numerous party, where dancing was to form a prominent feature in the entertainment: the brother's honesty revealed the plot, and it failed. A wager had, however, been laid by some young men, that the individual should be made to join in a dance : she was invited to take tea with merely a family circle, and one or two intimate friends. After tea, the weather being extremely cold, the piano was opened with a proposal that they should just skip about, for a little exercise and warmth.' The unconscious

lady was requested to stand up, but she quietly refused. Then followed the whole battery of argument, raillery and remonstrance, ended at last by their saying, 'Well, you shall not dance: you shall only walk the figure; and we defy you to prove that there is any more harm in walking in a curved line than in a straight one.' This also was declined, with the reiterated plea, 'I do not intend to have any thing to do with dancing.' The brother, who was neither a party in the plot, nor pleased at discovering it, coolly interposed, requesting that his sister might be allowed to follow her own inclinations, adding, that as he did not intend to dance, they might reduce the set by one couple.

Thus relieved from importunity, and not a little delighted to be left at liberty, she stood chatting by the fire-side with her brother, and, in the buoyancy of spirits, always very light, she was unconsciously keeping time, by a sort of tripping movement with one foot; when this observing brother, fixing on her a look of penetrating shrewdness, not unmixed with anxiety, privately addressed her in these words, ' If you do not think it right to dance, don't look as if you wished you were dancing.'

Oh that Christians would more practically lay to heart the fact of being so closely watched, both by those who resist the truth, and those who are beginning, by divine grace, to investigate with impartial, teachable minds, the real character of their principles and the integrity of their motives, as illustrated by their daily hourly walk through an ungodly world! The dear brother referred to, was then of the latter class; and the little incident, joined to his just and forcible admonition, left an impression