Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it," Prov. xxii. 6.

"And ye, fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord," Eph. vi. 4.

66

Fathers, provoke not your children to anger lest they be discouraged," Col. iii. 21.

66

"And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up," Deut. vi. 5—7.

66

'Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest live long on the earth," Eph. vi. 1-3.

66

My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother: for they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck," Prov. i. 8.

RESIGNATION.

SAD disappointment sours my lot,
Or wise, or useful though I be,
Unfelt for, spurned at, or forgot,
Since wealth was not assigned to me.

Yet I could lay me silent down
In dreariest pangs of misery,
Knew I but this-e'en this alone,
There is a heart can feel for me.
But is there none?-my falling tear,
That freezes at another's frown;
The wreck of all I counted dear,
Tell me that I am all alone.

Yet, am I?-no, it cannot be :

Alone! it were a dreary thought;
Am I not ever, Lord, with thee,

Nor once alone-by thee forgot.

Then welcome woes, and even hail
Sad, 'lone, neglected poverty;
Why should I ever aught bewail
That brings me nearer, Lord, to thee?
Southwark.

H. J. I.

Intelligence.

FOREIGN.-EAST INDIES.

From the Rev. J. Stubbins, Missionary in Orissa.

I HAVE wished to acknowledge the munificent grant of tracts with which you supplied me upon leaving England. These were exceedingly useful on board ship. My regular plan was to preach upon the quarter deck every Lord's-day morning when the weather would permit, which was generally the case; and immediately after preaching, to distribute by loan, to sailors, soldiers, servants, and all who would accept them, the tracts with which you had so kindly furnished me. In this way I distributed weekly from seventy to eighty of these important messengers of truth. I had also Bible classes amongst them, when I frequently entered upon the subject of the tract they had been reading. I cannot say that in any case genuine repentance was manifested; but this I can say, that a great moral change was produced in many, and several, I had reason to believe, were under serious impressions. I can assure you it formed a sight of peculiarly pleasing interest to see what one might not improperly call a floating village, attentively engaged in pursuing religious instruction with far more seriousness than I have frequently witnessed, even in the house of God in England. Many of them when they had read through their tract, which was generally done before the sabbath closed, would ask me if I could lend them a larger book. These applicants I generally dismissed with "Pike's Persuasives," "True Happiness," Religion and Eternal Life," &c. according as I thought they might be adapted to their character and situation. These works were read with the deepest interest.

I am desired by my colleagues to acknowledge the receipt of, and to present united thanks for the grant of the Tract Society's publications, made to this mission last year, (a library for the use of the mission family.) The circumstance of our being thus remembered by those societies in our muchloved native land, in whose welfare we entertain the warmest interest, is to us in this scene of trial and difficulty a source of consolation and delight. It gives increased energy and satisfaction. It seems to say, "Though the people by whom you are surrounded, care but little or nothing at all for your comfort, happiness, health, or even life, yet we feel for you. We entertain a concern for your welfare, and would exert ourselves to promote it. We desire to be helpers together with you in every sacred undertaking."

DOMESTIC.

Improving a Journey.-From a Correspondent.

IN my journey to Reading I distributed a large number of tracts to numerous bodies of labourers working at and near the railway. At Reading I was cheered with information that a copy of "Pike's Persuasives to Early Piety," which I gave to the servant of my host, nearly two years since, had been much blessed to her soul in life, and had comforted her in death. This gave me an opportunity of presenting one, with suitable advice, to the new servant, an unconverted person. In crossing from Reading to Henley, I made the acquaintance of a pious woman in the vehicle, to whom I gave a small parcel of tracts, on her engaging to visit the back streets, &c. of that place during her three days visit, to distribute them amongst the unconverted poor. I also got acquainted with a little tradesman's wife, living in an obscure village below Newbury, whose heart I think the Lord had touched, but who has an ungodly drunken husband and a large family; gave her a small parcel of tracts on the like engagement, and I promised to send her a book of prayers to introduce family worship, and a copy of " Pike's Persuasives," for her daughter.

I

On my road back from Henley, tracts were distributed to cottagers, wagoners, the wayside folk, and the passengers inside and outside the stage, and thus a considerable number of tracts have got into, I doubt not, the hands of many hundreds. I believe you will join with me in prayer that it may be as seed bringing forth a profitable crop; you and I cannot bless them, but our gracious Lord can. May we have the happiness of knowing it at the great day of account.

Whilst writing to you, suffer me to observe how sad it is that, although I meet with many who say they approve of distributing tracts in the coach, or omnibus, or on the road, yet I do not meet with any that so distribute them; are they ashamed of it? will you try to think the reason? I must say, (although I have too often felt under peculiar circumstances as if I would avoid it,) to the glory and honour of the God of tracts, that some of my sweetest hours of intercourse has been, from desires for the Divine blessing to others, in the act of, and subsequent to distribution; it has watered my own soul. I have made several valuable acquaintance of clergymen and others through it. I believe I have been the subject of the warm prayers of others through intercourse therein, and therefore I ought to speak well of this work. It is true, there is the occasional sneer and insult from opponents, though this is rare, and, what is much harder to be borne, the ashamed and repulsive look, and averted face of half-hearted

professors when present: but the tracts do circulate; and when I see six or eight persons in the omnibus reading at one time, as is often the case; and when I see them, as I often do, receive them with courtesy, read them, then fold and put them in their pocket-books, my hard heart does rejoice, and does often ascend with warm desire, that not only the immediate receivers but their families and connexions may be blessed thereby.

The instances recorded in your two last reports of the Divine blessing on tracts left in the hedges, &c. and dropped in the lane or street by pedestrians or from carriages, are cheering to my soul. I try to imitate these plans in most of my walks and rides. Do you, my dear brother? If not, try to begin in the strength of the Lord; time is short! The young man I wrote to you about, who was wrought on by a tract picked up in a neighbouring lane, goes on well.

A day or two since I received a letter from a country minister, to whom I had been recommending the leaving tracts in hedges; he writes, "I do put tracts in hedges; I found a poor man some time since, who told me of the benefit he had received from reading a tract he found in a certain hedge at such a time; I placed it there. Before this he was a very wicked drunkard, now he is a member of our church." Living in a crowded thoroughfare, I have lately adopted a mode, when the weather is dry, of throwing a tract out of window the last thing at night, and the first thing in the morning; and if I cannot sleep at midnight, as is sometimes the case, I send a tract out of window. I have also got three of my pious neighbours, also living in a crowded thoroughfare, to adopt the same plan; they like it. Who can tell which may prosper, this or that?

I was yesterday gratified in hearing from a young man with whom I placed some tracts, also two copies of the "Persuasives," for lending to twelve unconverted persons only during the year, that a young woman came to visit his wife, and produced a volume of Lord Byron's poems to read; his wife objected, and the young woman ultimately took a copy of the "Persuasives," on loan for a fortnight, at the expiration of which she came and expressed her value of the book and a desire to retain it: she became a changed character, and it is considered that this was a means. Her young mistress, who was a gay young lady, came into her room, and seeing the book, expressed a wish to read it; it was read in the family up stairs, and they were so pleased with it there that they ordered a dozen copies of it. O, my brother, who can tell where this will end!

SOLOMON, AND THE QUEEN OF SHEBA.

THE great lights, whether of heaven or earth, are not intended to be kept in obscurity; but, as to give light unto others, so to be seen themselves. The fame of Solomon raised the world to admire his more than human wisdom. Even so, O thou everlasting King of Peace, thy name is great among the Gentiles: there is no speech nor language, where the report of thee is not heard: the sound of thee is gone forth through all the earth: thy name is as ointment poured out.

No doubt, many from all coasts came to learn and wonder; none with so much note as this noble daughter of Ham, who herself deserves the next wonder to him whom she came to hear and admire. That a woman, a princess, a rich and great queen, should travel from the remote south, from Sheba, a region famous for the greatest delicacies of nature, to learn wisdom, is a matchless example. We know merchants, that venture to either Indies for wealth; others we know daily to cross the seas for mere curiosity; some few philosophers we have known to have gone far for learning; and, amongst princes, it is no unusual thing to send their ambassadors to far distant kingdoms, for business either of state or commerce; but that a royal lady should in person undertake and overcome so tedious a journey, only to observe and inquire into the mysteries of nature, art, religion, is without parallel. Why TRACT MAGAZINE, NO. 51. MARCH, 1838.

D