work of spreading the Gospel exclusively in the hands of the ministers of religion.

That much good may be effected by the zealous efforts of the humble Christian, and that no station is so retired as not to afford some opportunities of usefulness, every day's experience testifies. Let Christians but live up to their profession, make their Lord's glory the object of their lives, and study continually how they may do his work, and numberless trophies of success will crown their exertions. The influence of religion would spread through those minute ramifications of society which cannot be approached by the public teacher, and the most distant and secluded would come within the reach of this multiplied and all-pervading energy..

It is not too much to hope, from the prospects of scripture prophecy, that a far more general movement than has yet been

made, shall some day be witnessed in the Christian Church. Sure we are that the desire to be useful is growing, and that the example of devoted and zealous individuals, in comparatively private and humble walks of life, not only is applauded by the wise and good, but is becoming increasingly influential. There is, however, much to be done in rousing the professors of Christianity from that sleep into which many of them have fallen, and in shaking them from that love of ease and self-indulgence which robs the world of their best services, and themselves of the delights of doing good. By the following anecdotes it is designed to show that those who will do good, may find ready opportunities and ample means, even in spite of many difficulties, and that it neither requires great talents, nor great means, nor flattering occasions, to enable us to exert,

for the glory of God and the good of our fellow-creatures, the talents with which each is entrusted. It is a wise and excellent maxim, recommended by an eminent author, always to have in mind some project of usefulness. If Christians would but make this a standing rule, to suffer no day to pass without designing and attempting some purpose of good, though their effort should consist only of giving away a solitary tract, what success might not each one hope for in the course of a year-and if in a year, how much might be effected in a whole life-and if all true Christians would act upon the same principle, how vast an amount of good might the whole produce!

In one of the midland counties resides an excellent individual, who, though destitute of the natural sense of vision, is endowed with the perception and enjoyment of better things than the eye can see. His worldly occupation leads him occasionally through a wide extent of country, and for a considerable period he has been in the habit of making his journey subservient to designs of usefulness, by scattering in the districts through which he passes, those useful and humble monitors of truth, religious tracts. It would be well if all Christians, whose business calls them to travel, would always consider, with this our blind friend, a bundle of tracts a part of the necessary equipment for their journies.

This good man, about two years since, happened to be in a part of the country where he thought it desirable to scatter a little of the good seed which he always takes with him. He accordingly offered some to a woman. It was an interesting sight to see a blind man, who could not himself read, offering good books to others. It was as much as to say, "You are more blessed than I; improve

and enjoy the sense of which I am deprived; and let me admonish you to use it for the best of purposes to quicken within you a better sight, and to prepare you to behold brighter objects than any your eye has yet seen." The woman thankfully received the tracts, took them home, and read them.

It happened that she had a relative, the wife of an attorney, who resided in a neighbouring town and after having carefully perused the tracts herself, she sent them to this relative, that she, too, might enjoy the instruction they afforded. The attorney himself was an enemy to religion, and religious people, and openly professed his contempt of Christianity, and belief of infidel principles. The tracts, however, unknown to him, found their way into his house. They were received and read by his wife with great pleasure. She had little opportunity of religious improvement; and every obstacle and discouragement was thrown in her way by such a husband. The tracts, however, were short, and could be easily concealed and read by stealth.

One day, while engaged in reading one of them, her husband came unexpectedly into her room; and observing what engaged her attention, with anger inquired, why she read those. pedlars' books; asking her, at the same time, if there were not good books enough in the house, without reading that trash. Unwilling to irritate him, or to contend with him on the subject of religion, she quietly closed her tract, and laid it aside

for the present. But she could not so give up what she had found interesting and instructive.

She

accordingly waited for a more favourable opportunity, and then took up her tracts again. It so happened, a second time, that while she was busily engaged in

reading, her husband made his appearance. The discovery of her disregard of his injunction, and pertinacious adherence to this offensive employment, excited his severest displeasure. The books were calculated to make his wife religious, and to introduce religion to his family; and this was what he could not bear. Ünhappy man! he was without God and without hope himself, and he would fain have kept all about him in the same dark and wretched state of mind. His irritation at this second offence of his wife became extreme: he scolded, ridiculed, and threatened her; declaring, that although he always abhorred the idea of using violence, yet if she persisted in reading such books, and he should discover it, a good horse-whipping should be her punishment.

Such is the benevolence, and such the tolerance of infidels! They are generally the most fierce to claim, but the last to allow freedom of opinion. They are foremost to talk of benevolence and liberality, but will rarely be found to practise it. Thus this infidel attorney, though a mán of education and respectability, could disgrace himself by threatening the dearest friend he had on earth with violence on account of her religion-could expect to coerce the convictions of a reasonable being by brute force-and could reconcile his conscience, his feelings, and his principles, to a species of persecution the most unnatural and disgusting. But there are no fruits too bitter for infidelity to produce, and no crimes too enormous for infidels to perpetrate. When once the heart and understanding have been withered and blasted by this infernal contagion, human nature becomes transformed into the brutal, or rather exhibits all the malignant qualities of demonaical possession.

But to proceed with our narrative. The good woman bore her sufferings with patience. She endeavoured, what little she could, to pacify the enraged husband, but without any timid renunciation of her convictions. The tracts had brought truth home to her conscience, and peace to her heart; and she was not to be driven from her God and Saviour by human violence. However, here for the present the matter ended: she put aside the offensive books, and kept her resolution and her principles to herself. But she soon perceived that her adherence to the cause of truth, and her attachment to Christianity, must be at the expense of her earthly comforts, and in the certain prospect of sowing the bitter seeds of contention between herself and her husband. She had, however, felt no disposition to yield to his authority; and she had now got above the fear of " them that can kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do;" she had learnt to "fear Him who, after he hath killed, can cast both soul and body into hell." Thus, for the present, this unhappy contention terminated, in the quiet concealment of the tracts from the eye of the enraged husband, and a more decided adherence of the woman's heart to the truths she had embraced.

There was one only child of this family, a daughter, of about the age of fourteen. She happened to be at boarding-school while these events were transpiring at home. On her return at the holidays, the affectionate concern of the mother for her child made her anxious to impart to her the same benefits which she had herself derived from the tracts. No fear of the consequences that might result to herself could deter her from a duty which she felt so obligatory. The truths she had learned from the tracts appeared of

infinite moment, and she must impart them to her child, whose mind seemed now prepared, by education and a proper age, to receive them. She therefore took an early opportunity of putting the books into her daughter's hand, and of engaging her to read them.. One day, while thus employed, and while thinking themselves secure from interruption, the father suddenly burst into the apartment. His indignation may readily be imagined. Possibly suspicion had been working in his mind, and he might have determined to watch his opportunity, and to take them at unawares. He had now made

the discovery which excited his bitterest displeasure. "What," said he, to his affrighted partner,

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are you not contented with reading that rubbish yourself, but must put it into your daughter's hands too?" He then threatened his daughter with some terrible punishment if she ever dared to read these tracts again. The child, with much simplicity and affection, endeavoured to calm the irritation of the father, and to coax him into a better humour. There was a natural power in the entreaties of the child, which disarmed his resentment. The daughter perceived the advantage she had gained, and asked his permission to read something to him, that he might judge of her improvement in reading since she had been at school. He consented, and the child took up one of the tracts which had interested herself, and began to read. The father listened with attention—the sentiments of the tract touched his conscience-a gush of mingled feelings rushed to his heart-in spite of his infidelity, truth and nature prevailed, and a tear stole to his eye, which he could not conceal. His opposition was conquered, and though he said nothing, yet he left the room soon after, thoughtful and melancholy.

He had nothing now to say against the tracts. He could not, however, rest after what he had heard. The very next day he came to his daughter, and requested her to read to him again from the pedlar's books, as he called them. To this his child

readily consented. Again and again he renewed his requests, till he had heard the whole of their

contents.

The numerous references made by the tracts to the sacred Scriptures, directed his attention to the book, which, though he had despised and rejected, he had never examined. Like most who have embraced infidelity, it was not because he had found the evidences of revelation insufficient, but because his evil heart had found something more congenial with its nature. He now felt that there was a truth and a power in the words of the Bible, to which he had previously been an entire stranger. He found that ignorance and prejudice, and not superior knowledge, had led to his rejection of Christianity. He began to make it his study, but disclosed little of the state of his mind. It was obvious, however, that his opinions and feelings had undergone a material change. He was quite a different man, and no longer interfered with the religious pursuits of his wife and daughter.

But a short time elapsed, before he was seized with a paralytic stroke. It was not fatal, and he began to recover. A divine power had, however, now smitten his heart with the sense of a worse disorder than that which had seized upon his frame. Sin lay heavy upon his conscience, and he expressed much concern about his condition. He was filled with grief at the review of his past conduct, and expressed his fear, that he could not obtain forgiveness. He had not only neglected

and resisted religion_himself-he had opposed it in others with all his might. He was, however, so softened, so changed, that he now condescended to ask the injured woman, whom he had despised and persecuted for her piety, to pray with him. This was indeed a victory-a sight which angels might rejoice in, and which overwhelmed with gratitude the heart of his partner. She had beheld with agony the approach of this alarming disorder; but how was the severity of the stroke mitigated in the spiritual blessings which already appeared to be in it!

From this time the afflicted man began to converse freely upon the state of his soul, and the truths of religion. His mind became daily more softened and purified. He accepted with gladness and gratitude the instructions his partner was able to impart, and became gradually a partaker both of the illumination and of the consolation of the Gospel. The hope of glory shone upon his heart, and all the illusions of infidelity vanished like clouds of smoke and vapour before the ascending sun. How merciful was this manifestation of the truth to his mind. Had not the tracts been introduced to his house, in all probability, he would have sunk under this affliction without hope, and without God.

Scarcely had he recovered from the shock of this first attack, and begun to taste the sweet blessings of true religion, when he was visited by a second stroke, which was very soon followed by a third, and that a fatal one.

His latter end, however, was joy and peace in believing. He was enabled to trust in the Saviour, whom formerly he had despised, and to rejoice in hope of that glory he had contemned. During his illness he was visited by many of his old acquaintances, to whom he spoke freely of the

change which had taken place in himself; and faithfully and affectionately recommended an immediate attention to the concerns of their souls. At length the period of his dismissal arrived-his faith triumphed over mortality, and he received an abundant entrance into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

The wife and daughter, who were the happy instruments of effecting so great and glorious a change, would indeed have been glad, had it pleased God to continue him here as the helper of their faith and joy; but they submit. Mercy, infinite mercy, was mingled with judgment. They still live, and are walking under the influence of those principles they so happily embraced, and in the hope of meeting again, and in a better state, that dear relative, whom they were the instruments of preparing for that bliss into which he has entered before them.

A second memorable and gratifying instance of success, in the distribution of religious tracts, has occurred in the experience of the same individual. In one of his journies he met with an interesting boy, employed in attending upon an engine at a colliery. In this boy was evinced the advantage of Sunday-school instruction. He had been taught to read, and had acquired the commendable habit of employing his leisure hours in perusing some good and interesting book. Above most of the individuals around him, even though of adult age, he could relieve the toils of his labour by men. tal recreation and improvement.

The father of this boy was an illiterate and profligate character, habituated, like most of the class to which he belonged, to drunkenness and profane swearing. In the presence of this man the boy, whom we shall now name Sam, took occasion one day to read N. S. No. 24.

aloud several of the tracts which he had received from the blind man.

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When he had done, his father asked him with apparent concern and seriousness, if what he had been reading was true? "Yes," replied Sam, "I am sure the blind man would not give me a parcel of lies to read, because he is intimate with my master, who is so good a man.”—“ Then, replied the father, satisfied with the reason the boy had assigned, "Then, I am wrong; I am sure to be wrong." This ingenuous confession of the father to the child was accompanied with an earnest expression of desire to be set right. "I wish, Sam," said the father, "you would teach me to read, that I may see something about these things myself."

The gratification of the boy at this unexpected turn in his father, and the astonishment with which he listened to his confession, and his intreaty to be instructed, can hardly be imagined. Gladly, indeed, did he set about the work, in hope that his father would turn from his evil ways. It was a sight which might have gladdened any heart, to behold this poor boy employing his leisure time, and exerting all his little ability and energy, to teach his ignorant and profligate father his A B C. Nor was the zeal and determination of the father a whit behind the filial affection of the boy. A desire after religious knowledge had been enkindled in his breast, a voice of sovereign energy had arrested his attention, and all the impulse of his soul was now directed to the truth. The progress he made was truly astonishing. In a very short time he was able to read with comparative ease.

The tracts which had been given to the boy were the first objects of his curiosity, and from these his attention was gradually led on to the Bible. This book, which opened to his understanding a new 4 M