the conscience. An alarmed conscience will unfold its most interior recesses before him. It is said Dr. Owen advised a man, who under religious convictions confessed to him a murder which he had perpetrated some years before, to surrender himself up to justice. The man did so, and was executed. I think Dr. Owen erred in his advice. I thought myself right, in urging on persons, who have opened their hearts to me, deep humillation before God for crimes committed in an unconverted state; but, as it had pleased Him to give a thorough hatred of those crimes to the mind, and a consequent self-loathing and humiliation, and yet to allow in His providence that they should have remained undiscovered, I judged that the matter might be safely left with Him. Yet there may be cases, in which general consequences require that confidence should be betrayed. Such cases usually relate to EVIL IN PROGRESS. To prevent or counteract such evil, it may be necessary to disclose what has been intrusted in confidence. Yet the party should be honestly warned, if its purposes are not changed, what duty your conscience will require.

I HAVE felt twice in my life very extraordinary impressions under sermons, and that from men least calculated to affect me. A man of great powers, but so dissipated on every thing that he knew nothing a frivolous, futile babbler, whom I was ready almost to despise-surprised and chained me so, in my own church at Lewes, that I was thunderstruck: I think it was concerning the dove not finding rest for the sole of her foot: he felt the subject strongly himself; and in spite of all my prejs udices against him and my real knowledge of his character, he made me feel it as I have scarcely ever done before or since. In the other instance, Į

had to do with a very different character: he was a simple, but weak man: it pleased God, however, to shoot an arrow by his hand into my heart: I had been some time in a dry, fruitless frame, and was persuading myself that all was going on well: he said one day, at Lewes, with an indescribable simplicity, that "men might cheer themselves in the morning, and they might pass on tolerably well perhaps without God at noon; but the cool of the day was coming, when God would come down to talk with them." It was a message from God to me: I felt as though God had descended into the church: and was about to call me to my account! In the former instance, I was more surprised and astonished than affected religiously; but, in this, I was unspeakably moved.

CONSTITUTIONAL bias is a suspicious interpreter of PROVIDENTIAL LEADINGS. A man's besetting sin lies in that to which his nature is most inclined; and, therefore, to walk wisely and holily, he should be very jealous of such supposed leadings in Providence as draw with his constitutional propensity. He is never safe, unless he is in the act of collaring his nature as a rebel, and forcing it into submission. A sanguine man sees a sign and token in every thing: in every ordinary occurrence, his imagination hears a call: his pious fancy is the source and food of an eager, disquieted, and restless habit of mind. An enterprising man has great facility in finding God in whatever seems to open to honor, or influence, or power. But he has lost the right estimate of things: if God seem to draw with an enterprising mind, the man should stand and tremble. Providence may really lead some retired and humble men into situations which the ambitious man would covet; but, even in that case, it is not to be regarded as an evidence of favor, so much as an

increase of trial and responsibility: but he can never open before an enterprising and ambitious character, unless in judgment, or in such imminence of trial as should call the man to self-suspicion and humility. A pleasurable man easily discerns God's hand in every thing, which seems to put his favorite indulgences within his power: such a thing was a great providence! and he is vastly grateful! while he sees not that he is led away to broken cisterns. An idle man has a constant tendency to torpidity. He has adopted the Indian maxim-that it is better to walk than to run, and better to stand, than to walk, and better to sit than to stand, and better to lie than to sit. He hugs himself into the notion, that God calls him to be quiet:-that HE is not made for bustling and noise!-that such and such a thing plainly shew him he ought to retire and sit still! A busy man is never at rest: he sees himself called so often into action, that he digs too much to suffer any thing to grow, and waters so profusely that he drowns. The danger in all these cases is, lest a man should bless himself in his SNARES!

ADAM well observes:-"A poor country parson, fighting against the Devil in his parish, has nobler ideas than Alexander had." Men of the world know nothing of true glory: they know nothing of the grandeur of that sentiment-Thou, O God, art the thing that I long for! You may, perhaps, find this sentiment in the corner of some monastery, where a poor ignorant creature is mumbling over his prayers: or, it may even be found to exist with the nonsense and fanaticism of a Swedenborgian; but, wherever it is, it is true dignity.

Look at the bravery of the world! Go into the Park. Who is the object of admiration there? The captain swelling and strutting at the head of

his corps! And what is there at the court?"Make way! Make way!" And who is this? A bit of clay, with a ribbon tied round it! Now it makes nothing against the comparative emptiness and littleness of these things, that I or any man should be ensnared by them, and play the fool with the rest of the species. Truth is truth, and dignity is dignity in spite of the errors and folly of any man living.

But this is the outside. What are the greatest minds, and the noblest projects of the world, compared with a Christian! Take Mr. Pitt for an instance: and contrast him with the most insignificant old woman in the church of Christ! If the Bible be not true, you have no standard: all your reasonings, and science, and philosophy, and metaphysics, are gross absurdity and folly. But, if the Bible be true, Mr. Pitt, great and noble as he is, yet, considered as a mere politician, even Mr. Pitt has a little, contracted, mean mind!-a driveller!an earth-worm! Compared with his projects and schemes, the old woman, who rises at two o'clock in the morning, lights her farthing candle, stands all day over her wash-tub, at night puts on her red cloak, steals out to some place of worship, hears the truths of the gospel mangled perhaps with ignorant yet honest zeal, but draws in good into an honest and prepared heart-why, this woman is a heroine-a noble mind-compared with the greatest of men, considered as a mere man of this world!

Bishop Wilkins has said admirably, That nothing in man is great, but, so far as it is connected with God. The only wise thing recorded of Xerxes, is his reflection on the sight of his army-That not one of that immense multitude would survive a hundred years: it seems to have been a momentary gleam of true light and feeling.

APPENDIX.

REMARKS BY MR. CECIL, COMMUNICATED TO THE EDITOR BY SOME FRIENDS,

A HIDING-PLACE implies secrecy. He, who can say unto God, Thou art my hiding place, may go abroad about his affairs, and may pass through a thousand dangers, and yet, at the same time, have such a hiding-place, in the favor and protection of God, that, when he seems to be exposed on every side, still he is secured and hidden from every evil.

A GREAT man,however high his office and talents, is dependent on little things. Jonah was exceeding glad of his gourd. However splendid and towering, man is crushed beneath the moth, if God does not uphold him: so that, while we are admiring the great man as he is called, and however he may be disposed to admire himself and to speak great swelling words of vanity, facts will shew that he is a poor, dependent creature, who cannot live a mo▾ ment without God. If the Holy Spirit opens his eyes, he will perceive that he cannot stand alone; but can only support himself and climb, like the ivy, by clasping one stronger than himself.

DREAMS are common to sleeping. No man begins to slumber in religion, but he falls into some golden dream. It is a device of Satan to seduce men into a drowsy state, and then to beguile them with some dream. When the duties of religion become irksome, then he presents some novelty