withdrawn. He gave his full consent to their union at the last, and himself gave away his daughter, when they were united in the bands of marriage. The spirit of patient love by which he thus triumphed, helped him also to counsel others, and extend the same happiness through a wide sphere. He was indeed as a sun in the centre of the district where he resided, diffusing a vivifying sunshine that made all around him smile. To him-as to Job-"men gave ear and waited, and kept silence at his counsel; after his words they spake not again ;" and many of the neighbours who respected him not as a minister, yet loved and honoured him as a knowing, prudent, and humble neighbour. In the concernments of private families he was very far from busying himself; but he was very frequently applied to to advise many about their affairs, and the disposal of themselves and their children, and in arbitrating and composing differences among relations and neighbours, in which he had an excellent faculty, and often good success, inheriting the blessing entailed upon the peace-makers. References have sometimes been made to him by rule of court, at the assizes, with consent of parties. He was very affable and easy of access, and admirably patient in hearing every one's complaint, which he would answer with so much prudence and mildness, and give such apt advice, that many a time to consult with him was "to ask counsel at Abel," and so to end the matter. He observed, in almost all quarrels that happened, that there was fault on both sides; and that generally they were most in the fault that were most forward and clamorous in their complaints. One making her moan to him of a bad husband that in this and the other instance was unkind; "Sir," saith she, after a long complaint which he patiently heard, "what would you have me to do now?" "Why truly," saith he, "I would have you to go home, and be a better wife to him, and then you will find that he will be a better husband to you." Labouring to persuade one to forgive an injury that was done him, he urged thus, Are you not a Christian? and followed the argument so close that at last he prevailed. He was very industrious, and oft successful, in persuading people to recede from their right for peace' sake; and he would for that purpose tell them Luther's story of the two goats, that met upon a narrow bridge over a deep water; they could not go back, they durst not fight; after a short parley, one of them lay down, and let the other go over him, and no harm was done. He would likewise relate sometimes a remarkable story, worthy to be inserted here, concerning a good friend of his, Mr. T. Yates of Whitchurch, who in his youth was greatly wronged by an unjust uncle. Being an orphan, his portion, which was £200, was put into the hands of that uncle; who, when he grew up, shuffled with him, and would give him but £40 instead of his £200, and he had no way of recovering his right but by law; but before he would engage in that, he was willing to advise with his minister, who was the famous Dr. Twiss of Newbury; the counsel he gave him, all things considered, was, for peace' sake, and for the preventing of sin, and snares, and trouble, to take the £40 rather than contend; and Thomas, said the Doctor, if thou dost so, assure thyself that God will make it up to thee and thine some other way, and they that defraud thee will be the losers by it at last. He did so; and it pleased God so to bless that little which he began the world with, that when he died, in a good old age, he left his son possessed of some hundreds a-year, and he that wronged him fell into decay. How much wisdom and truth is there in the homely advice of the good English divine to the complaining wife. How many a scene of domestic dissension and strife would be converted into a happy home by the very simple process of the member of it that conceived himself most wronged striving to be still kinder, more faithful, more affectionate and self-denying than ever. An old Arabian proverb says, "It is the second blow which begins the quarrel." Herein lies deep wisdom. It is, indeed, only another version of the noble Christian maxim, "A soft answer turneth away wrath ;" while even in return for a blow, a word of kindness and for giving forbearance will often not only put an end to the quarrel, but make him who begun it more grieved and ashamed than any triumph of force over him could have done. In no sphere is this more frequently illustrated than in the intercourse of brothers and sisters. A pleasant, familiar writer, in a little tract which he has entitled "A Peep at Home," thus remarks :- "A peep at home! Well, what can there be in a peep at home? My young friends, have a little patience, and we shall see. I live in a place where frequently we have the privilege of meeting a number of little girls who go to repeat a portion of Scripture to their minister. He is kind enough to explain it to them in a manner so plain, affectionate, and familiar, that he gains the attention and esteem of all who hear him. I cannot help feeling my own heart glow with affection to all of them, when I see their little smiling faces looking eagerly to catch every word he utters, and ready to answer the questions he puts to them. Christianity makes us love each other. Christ is love, and showed his love in a wonderful way, by dying for us; and we should be all love: but, alas, this is not the case so much as it ought to be amongst us. God is love; "I know two little girls who always attend these meetings, and who are very anxious to repeat their verse, and attentive to listen, and they are happy to : contribute their pence to the Bible Society, and the Missionary, and the Tract Societies. But see them at home they are always quarrelling, not violently, but quite enough to render it very unpleasant to hear them, and to give their parents much pain. One, perhaps, wants a book; it happens to be the very one the other was going to take: this occasions a dispute, neither of them being disposed to give up, except in that pettish manner which is quite opposed to the peaceable disposition of a Christian. Then, when lessons are to be learned, instead of helping each other on, they interrupt one another: if one is disposed to be diligent and study, the other will make a noise and disturbance; or they both play away the time, and are not ready, and then accuse each other of being the cause of this fault. "You would think, to hear their constant disputes, that they had a great dislike to each other, and that they had never been taught the commandment to love; but I know that their mother has taken great pains to teach them the good and right way, and that her spirit is grieved every day with their disputings and apparent choice of the spirit of strife and contention rather than of kindness." Homely as this latter tale may appear, it might be studied with advantage in thousands of families where contention about trifling things robs the circle of many |