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time, and that they were ultimately frozen. This dream, as he mentions in his writings, Beadle considered as a direct revelation from heaven, that it was lawful for him to put his wife to death as well as his children; and he appears to have formed his purposes accordingly. He still managed to conceal his horrible intentions, even from his most intimate acquaintances.

On the morning of December 11th, 1782, he called up a female servant, who slept in the same room with his children, and who was the only household servant in the family, and directed her to rise so softly as not to disturb the children. When she came down, he gave her a note, which he had written to Doctor Farnsworth, his family physician, and told her to carry it, and wait until the physician was ready to come with her; informing her at the same time, that Mrs. Beadle had been ill through the night.

Doctor Farnsworth, upon opening the note, found that it announced the diabolical purpose of Beadle to destroy himself and his family; but supposing it impossible that a sober man should adopt so horrible a design, concluded that he had been suddenly seized with a delirium. Doctor Farnsworth, however, hastened with the note to Stephen Mix Mitchell, now Chief Justice of the State, who realized the tragedy at once. The house was immediately opened, and all the family were found dead.

After the servant had gone, as appeared from the scene which presented itself when the house was entered, he had taken an axe, struck each of his children on the head once, and his wife twice, cut their throats quite across with a carving-knife, and then shot himself through the head with a pistol.

I knew this family intimately, says Doctor Dwight. Mrs. Beadle possessed a very pleasing person, a fine mind, and delightful manners. The children were unusually lovely and promising. Beadle in his writings, which were numerous, professed himself a Deist, and declared that man was, in his opinion, merely a creature of circumstances, unac. countable for his actions, and incapable of either virtue or vice. The idea of a revelation he rejected with contempt. At the same time he reprobated the vices of others in the strongest terms, and spoke of duty in the very same writings, in language decisively expressive of his belief both in duty and sin. The Jury pronounced him of sound mind, and brought in a verdict of murder and suicide.

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TESTIMONIES OF REMARKABLE CHARACTERS IN FAVOUR OF A RELIGIOUS LIFE. Secretary WALSINGHAM, an extraordinary man in Queen Elizabeth's time, towards the conclusion of his days,

in a letter to his fellow Secretary, Burleigh, then Lord Treasurer of England, writes thus: We have lived enough to our Country, our Fortunes, our Sovereign: it is high time we began to live to ourselves and to our God. This letter giv ing occasion for some court-droll to visit him, and try to divert him; Ah! said he, while we laugh, all things are serious round about us: God is serious, who preserveth us and hath patience towards us; Christ is serious, when he dieth for us; the Holy Ghost is serious, when he striveth with us; the whole creation is serious, in serving God and us; they are serious in heaven and in hell; and shall a man that hath one foot in his grave, jest and laugh? O that our statesmen and men of wealth and learning would weigh the expressions of this great man. None can be serious too soon, because none can be good too soon. Away then with foolish talking and jesting, and let us mind more profitable things.

John Mason, Knight, who had been Privy Counseller to four Princes, and spent much time in the preferments and pleasures of the world; retired with these pathetical and regretful sayings: After so many years experience, SERIOUSNESS is the greatest wisdom, TEMPERANCE is the best physic: and a GOOD CONSCIENCE is the best estate. And were I to live again, I would change the court for a cloister, my privy counseller's bustles for a hermit's retirement, and the whole life I lived in the Palace, for one hour's enjoyment of God in the Chapel. ALL THINGS ELSE FORSAKE ME, BUT MY GOD, MY DUTY AND MY PRAYERS.

SAYINGS OF THE WISE.

CENSORIOUSNESS.-We are apt to be very quick at censuring others, where we will not endure advice ourselves. But nothing shows our weakness more than to be so sharpsighted at spying other men's faults, and so purblind about

our own.

When the actions of a neighbour are upon the stage, we can have all our wits about us, are so quick and critical we can split an hair, and find out every failure and infirmity: while we are without feeling, or have but very little sense of

our own.

Much of this comes from ill-nature, as well as from an inordinate value of ourselves; for we love rambling after other people's faults, better than staying at home to mend our own, and blaming the unhappy, instead of protecting and relieving them.

When misfortunes overtake our neighbours, some show their malice, and are witty upon their sorrows; others show their justice, by reproofs and reflections; few show much charity, especially where money is required.

ON THE DEATH OF JAMES WALMSLEY.

Our friend is gone! is gone! we say,
Our eyes no more his form behold;
His soul has left its house of clay,

That lifeless lies, entombed and cold.

He's gone! we say, he's gone! but why?
Did he dislike his earthly home?
No; Jesus called and his reply

Was this, "My Lord I quickly come."

He's gone! he's gone! but gone from whom?
From all his friends? Oh no! Oh no
He's gone where friendship's blossoms bloom
More sweetly than they bloom below.

He's gone! he's gone! but gone to whom?
To God; to Saints; to Christ on high:
He is not in the darksome tomb,

He lives with Angels in the sky.

He's gone from toil; he's gone from pain;
From all his grief; from all his care;
He's gone to rest; he's gone to reign
In heaven, its endless bliss to share.

He's gone! but not for ever gone,

We yet shall meet our friend in heaven,
Shall meet when life's fleet course is run,
Where no sad parting pang is given.

Then weep not though our friend is gone,
Though death has quenched his mortal ray,
O'er death he has the victory won,

His night ends in eternal day.

We too must go! Ah, we must die!

Soon will the mortal blow be given:

Be life well spent; then shall we fly
From earth, to join our friends in heaven.

T. S.

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:

EVANGELICAL REFORMER,

AND

YOUNG MAN'S GUIDE. BY JOSEPH BARKER,

PUBLISHED EVERY SATURDAY.

PRICE ONE PENNY, OR IN MONTHLY PARTS PRICE FIVE PENCE.

No. 16.

Saturday, April 14th, 1838.

RELIGIOUS SELFISHNESS.

The great defect of professing christians is a proneness to live for themselves, and to overlook or neglect the interests of their fellow men. They do not seem to understand the charitable nature of the religion they profess, nor to have any apprehensions of the extent to which it requires them to live for the good of others. Hence an excessive regard to their own pleasure and advantage, and a forgetfulness of the claims of their brethren run through the great mass of professors, and manifest themselves in every part of their behaviour. They not only manifest a selfish spirit in the manner in which they dispose of their money, but in the eagerness with which they seek after able preachers, and religious privileges. The object still is, not to promote to the farthest extent the good of their neighbours, but to secure the most agreeable and profitable preachers and ordinances for themselves.

Give them a preacher that pleases them, and they will sit and hear him from sabbath to sabbath the year round; and never think of sending preachers "to seek and to save the lost." And not only do they forget

their brethren in Pagan lands, but even their nearest neighbours. The elders of churches will ask themselves, not what minister would best promote the salvation of the multitudes of ignorant and poor around them? but which will best feed the church? which will most please themselves?. They wish to have Bibles, and they read them at times; but they have little anxiety to send Bibles to the Gentiles. They go to their chapel, and are pleased to sit in their comfortable pews, but they think little of building chapels for the rest of men. Their thoughts and plans are almost wholly for themselves, and the spirit of selfishness runs through all their doings. If they enlarge their chapel, or improve its interior, it is to make it more comfortable for themselves, rather than to make it more useful to the public. In choosing a preacher, they are more anxious to have one who will minister to their own comfort, than one who would be likely to prove a blessing to the neighbourhood. Hence many churches are ever calling out for educated and polished ministers, not because they think that those who have had a college training, will be most useful to the ignorant and miserable; but because they themselves like to hear such preachers. Their whole desire is to be fed, they have scarce a thought of feeding others. They are always children, hanging on the breast, when they ought to be nursing others; and needing to be carried, when they ought to be bearing the burdens of their brethren. If they get a preacher who will nurse and comfort them, they will sit under his sermons from year to year, without ever thinking of converting the world. And they are so eager to have the most engaging preachers, and to have all the best things for themselves; that if Jesus Christ were to return again to the world, instead of going round with him to do good, they would wish to have him for their stationed minister, and leave the rest of the world a prey to sin and death. And when ministers amongst us change circuits, how often do we see that a regard to their own gratification, has more to do in the regrets of our members, when the time of parting

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