swearing, and it seems as if the devil was in me and I cannot stop." He had gone on in sin till he was fifty or upwards, still hearing the gospel regularly, and his state seemed unalterable. I knew another who had encouraged a proud and passionate temper, till, when she began to set about religion, she was always baffled and overthrown by her headstrong temper, and I fear she is still in the bonds of iniquity.

Young people are not aware what they are doing, when they put off religion. They seem to fancy, that they will be as well able to leave off their sins at twenty as at fifteen, or at thirty as at twenty; but they are under a great delusion. The chains of sin grow stronger every day, and their power to break them grows less. It requires resolution to turn at fifteen; it requires hard struggling and many pangs at twenty; and if persons put off religion till they are thirty or forty, when preachers and friends and conscience admonish them to the contrary; they must then prepare for agonies like the agony of death, or take the horrible resolution to go forward to perdition. There is a difference in persons, I know, according to their different habits and situations; and according to the amount of light and gracious influences they have sinned against. A man that has not indulged a love of company, will find conversion an easier matter than one who could never spend an evening alone. One who has made his house his home, and his wife and children his companions; will not find it so difficult to amend as one who has lost his love of home, and wedded himself to the profligate society of the alehouse. One who has loved books, and the conversation of serious people, who has steered clear of intoxicating drinks, and stupify. ing drugs; who has been honest and industrious and chaste, will have many advantages over the drunken, the idle, the unprincipled and unclean. So also those who have not gone against strong and frequent remonstrances of conscience, of ministers, of afflictions and judgments, will be less hardened than those who

have, and will find a change less difficult. But, alas! it is a tedious and painful conflict at best, for old neglecters of salvation; while the case of others is awfully doubtful, if not entirely desperate. Let me persuade the young to begin in time; you have a thousand advantages in your favour. Happy are ye, my young readers, who have already given your hearts to God. You are like sailors, who start on their voyage with both wind and tide in their favour, and with the friendly season of summer before them. You start from the port in the morning also, and get clear of the shallows and rocks before the night comes on. And by starting thus early, you do what other sailors cannot do; you secure a favourable wind and a friendly current all your voyage through. Happy souls! Thrice happy, if ye understand your great advantages, and improve them well.

But those procrastinators,-I cannot leave them without another word-you procrastinators are like the reckless and drunken sailors: you let the tide run out, the breeze turn round and grow to an opposing gale, the sailing season pass away, and then, alas! begin to think of preparing for your voyage, when you ought to have been within sight of the Haven. Now every thing is against you. Your bark is injured by lying idle; the winter season has come on and the winds are wild, the days are short, the nights are long and dreary, the waters are frozen round your vessel, you have but little skill in sailing, and little heart to venture on the voyage, and there is danger lest you should be wrecked upon the rocky shores, and buried in the waters. There is a possibility of reaching the port, but every day the difficulty is increasing, and without a great and speedy effort the oppor tunity will be gone. Oh! that thou didst but know, even thou, at least, in this thy day, the things that belong unto thy peace, before they are hid from thine eyes.

POST OFFICE REFORM.

Rowland Hill is recommending to government a new plan of postage, which, if adopted, will prove an incalculable advantage to the public. He proposes that letters shall be sent in parcels, wrapt in stamped covers, and be charged by weight. A package of half an ounce weight he would have charged one penny, whether sent one mile or three hundred; and for every additional half ounce, he would have an additional half-penny charged. R. Hill's plan would be less ex

pensive than the present one, and the increase that it would cause in correspondence, and the check that it would give to the unlawful transmission of letters, would very likely prevent any dimunition in the revenue, if not cause an increase. I hope R. Hill will be well supported in his efforts by the public.

PRINTING MONOPOLY.

No one is allowed to print Bibles in this country, it seems, bnt a few persons to whom the King or Queen may give the privilege. The consequence is, that Bibles and Testaments cost about twice as much as they ought to do; and twice as much as they would do if competition were allowed. The reason assigned for not allowing printers generally to print Bibles is, to prevent Bibles from being printed carelessly and incorrectly. It is however probable, that Bibles would be printed much more correctly if the monopoly were done away. It would soon be known who printed them best, and careless printers would soon be punished by loss of custom. It is too bad that the Bible Society instead of having two millions of Bibles for their money, should have only one million; and that to favour and enrich a few individuals, the poor at home, and the heathen abroad, should be deprived of the word of life. Christians should remonstrate with government against so uncharitable and ungodly a monopoly.

LEAVING FORTUNES.

If I be asked, "Should christian parents lay up money for their children?" I answer, It is the duty of every parent, who can, to lay up what is necessary to put every child in a condition to earn its bread. If he neglects this, he undoubtedly sins against God and nature. "But should not a man lay up, besides this, a fortune for his children, if he can honestly?" I answer, yes, if there be no poor within his reach no good work which he can assist ; no heathen region on the earth to which he can contribute to send the gospel of Jesus i but not otherwise. God shows in the course of his Providence, that this laying up of fortunes for children, is not right; for there is scarcely ever a case where money has been saved to make the children independent, and gentlemen, in which God has not cursed the blessing. It was saved from the poor; from the ignorant; from the cause of God; and the canker of his displeasure consumed this ill-saved property. ADAM CLARKE.

SCRIPTURE EXPLAINED.

"But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and

redemption." The meaning of this passage is; " But ye are made God's children by Christ Jesus, who by God has been made our instructor, and justifier, and sanctifier, and redeemer." "Of him," should be translated his, and the word children is understood: " Of God," should be translated by God; "in Christ Jesus," should be translated by Christ Jesus. In, is often used instead of by by our translators, and many passages are obscured thereby." In him we live and move," should be," By him we live and move." "In whom we have redemption," should be " By whom. "Ye are complete in him,” should be "ye are well supplied by him" with knowledge. "Your life is hid with Christ in God:" that is, "your life or happiness is taken care of with Christ, where Christ is, by God." "I am glorified in them," by them. "Glorified

in his saints, and admired in all them that believe," by his saints, and by all that believe. "In thee and in thy seed;" that is by or through thee and thy seed. "The promises of God are yea and amen in Christ Jesus;" that is, they are made quite sure by Christ. "Chosen in him," "blessed in him," "gather in him," "found in him," " rooted and built up in him," "the law fulfilled in us," "learn in us," "straitened in us," and many others, are all phrases in which in should have been translated by, and in which the sense of the passages is darkened for want of being so translated. Words which in common language mean things are often used in scripture to mean the persons. So wisdom in the above passage, means a teacher or giver of wisdom, justification, a Justifier, and sanctification and redemption mean Sanctifier and Redeemer. So in other passages. "He hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him;" that is, he hath made Christ, who knew no sin, to suffer as if he had been a sinner, that we, who were sinners, might be made righteous people by him. Christ says, "I am the way, the truth, and the life;" that is, 1 show the way, I teach the truth, 1 give life.

Light.-Light in scripture, often means knowledge and the giver of knowledge. "I am the light of the world," the teacher of the world; "he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life," he that receives my instructions shall not remain in ignorance or error, but shall have that knowledge which will lead him to happiness. "Walk in the light;" that is, live according to the instructions of the gospel. "Children of light and of the day;" that is, persons favoured with full revelations of truth. "To give light to them that sit in darkness;" that is, to give them instruction in divine things. "To turn them from darkness to light;" that is, from the erroneous systems of paganism, to a belief and practice of the gospel system. "Called out of darkness into marvellous light," from paganism to christianity,

"God is light, and in him is no darkness at all;" he is wise, without any mixture of ignorance or error. "Ye once were darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord; walk as children of the light." Ye once were in ignorance of divine things, but now ye are instructed by the Lord, live as persons who understand the gospel.

In the Old Testament light often means prosperity or happiness, and darkness adversity and misery. "Thou hast brought me into darkness, and not into light," thou hast afflicted and troubled me, but thou hast not brought me relief. "Light is sown for the upright;" "to the upright there ariseth light in the darkness." When trouble is sent to the upright it is meant to be the seed of joy; and to the upright good shall come out of evil, happiness out of calamity.

To walk. To walk in scripture language often means to behave, or to live after a certain fashion." He that saith he abideth in Christ, ought to walk as he also walked ;" that is to live as Christ lived. "To walk uprightly" is to live uprightly: to"walk after the flesh" is to be ruled by our fleshly appetites.

WORDS OF THE WISE. POPULARITY.-Affect not to be seen, and men will less see thy weakness.

If thou hast a great name use it for good ends, and seek to reap from fame a harvest of usefulness, rather than a harvest of pleasure.

If thou feast upon thy popularity, thou wilt soon find a dearth; but if thou feast others therewith, thy stock will be still increasing.

To the man who worships fame, fame becomes a tormentor, to him who makes it serve, fame is a help and a comfort. Labour not for fame, but if thou receive it use it in thy labours, that thy labours may be more successful.

A good name is a great blessing, but a good conscience is a greater.

Thy good name is in other men's keeping, thy good conscience in thine own.

A great name is a great trouble, if it be valued otherwise than as a means of usefulness.

Published by I. Davis, 22, Grosvenor-street, Stalybridge; Banks and Co., Exchange-street; Heywood, Oldham-street, Manchester; R. Groombridge, 6, Panyer Alley, PaternosterRow, London; and may be had of all Booksellers.

I. DAVIS, PRINTER, STALYBRIDGE.