philosophers could not understand the great truths of the gospel: they said, "What will this babbler say?" The Apostle, however declared unto them " that God" whom they "ignorantly worshipped," and showed them how vain it was to offer service to images and statues, "made of gold and silver or stone, graven by art and man's device." There may be much human learning, with great ignorance of spiritual things, and great unwillingness to be brought to a knowledge of eternal truth. Some of these learned men "mocked;" they ridiculed the Apostle. But God did not allow his minister's exhortation to be lost on all the hearers. Some of them said, "we will hear thee again of this matter," and "certain men clave unto him and believed;" one of them was a magistrate of the court of Areopagus, named Dionysius, a person of high rank and consideration, and a woman named Damaris, and others." "The Parthenon, or temple of Minerva, was erected (or rather restored and beautified) by Pericles during the most classic age of Athens. It was of the finest white marble, encompassed with fluted columns of the Doric order. It is now mouldering in all the solemnity of ruin." V. FAMILY READINGS. Matt. v. 13-17. ALTHOUGH men are so opposed to the Gospel, it is, we may well believe, to the true Christians that they are indebted for their preservation from destruction. God, for the sake of His people, spares a world which lieth in wickedness. The people of God are instruments of the conversion of souls from wickedness: they spread the knowledge of the Scriptures, and show the power of their truth in their own lives. But if these lose their savour, if they fall away into mere professing Christians without holiness, the salt of the earth is lost,-the religion of Christ is cast out and trodden under foot of men. Seek then to be pure, as Christ is pure; you have a high and important duty to perform on the earth; you have to win souls; be anxious for this, and be careful and watchful, lest, by your departure from holy living, you become the 1838.] FAMILY READINGS. 243 means of losing any. As Christians, you are the light of the world; you are set on a hill; you cannot, you must not be hid; you must not only give light to those that are in your house, but all men must see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven, for the grace which He hath given you. Verse 17-21. Our blessed Lord, my dear family, not only did not come to destroy the law and the prophets, but He came to fulfil, to the utmost tittle, all that had been foretold concerning Him; and, in His own person, to show to the world a perfect example of that love to God and man which they had required for ages, but which never was beheld till He, the Most High God, put the full measure of His Spirit into human flesh. As Christ then fulfilled all the law in His own person, so whosoever shall wilfully break the least of God's commandments, and shall teach others to do so, shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven, or in other words shall be deprived of the benefits of a belief in the Gospel. On the other hand, great in the kingdom of Christ shall he be, crowned with glory and with happiness eternal shall that Christian be, who shall do and teach the commandments which his Master so faithfully kept, and so diligently taught. Herein is true Christianity-love for one's own soul, and love for the souls of others. Be ye true Christians; let not a name content you; be it your constant prayer that Christ may dwell in your hearts by such a lively and fruitful faith as will produce a daily advance in holiness and righteousness, and a daily endeavour to bring others to that love of Christ, which leads men to keep His commandments. The Scribes and Pharisees pretended to religion, and pretended only, O my family, you hear from Christ's mouth, that unless your righteousness exceed theirs, you shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. Once more I implore you to beware of self-deceit; trust not to outward profession, but seek for that new creation of the heart and life which alone can prove that you are in Christ. A LAYMAN. VACCINATION. A correspondent of the Devizes Gazette, speaking of the prevalence of that dreadful pestilence, the Small Pox, in the town and its neighbourhood, proceeds to combat the prejudices of the ignorant, who alone can pretend to be unconvinced of the blessings attendant on Vaccination, in the following manner:-"A question was proposed to the surgeons of the Dispensary some time back, to this effect-Do you ever remember to have seen a fatal case of Small-pox, after Vaccination had taken its proper effect? All who were present replied in the negative. Surely such a reply is of itself a sufficient argument for the general adoption of this simple remedy; and if we are content to look upon Vaccination as a palliative only, it must have some merit in our eyes. How frequently did we formerly see the effects of Small-pox exhibited in the faces of those who took it in what is commonly called the 'natural way!' How comparatively seldom is it now seen! But I am not inclined to treat Vaccination in this secondary manner. I look upon it, when properly done, as a specific in its action against the Small-pox. I am aware that many cases may be brought against me here; but they frighten me not. The mere puncturing the arm with a lancet is considered quite sufficient by many people; they trouble not themselves about the arm rising,' but allow their children to run about the town, and play with each other indiscriminately. We have had many examples of this lately in the town, and I am fully borne out when I assert that Vaccination has not had a fair trial here, and for the following reasons:-1st, The Small Pox was prevailing before any general Vaccination was adopted; and, 2dly, when it was adopted, we had no opportunity of judging whether it had taken a proper effect or not. To prove this, sixty-three children were vaccinated in one morning, at the Dispensary; the parents of all were strictly enjoined to bring them again that day week: and how many do you suppose attended to this request?-Only two.-Are we from this to presume that the remaining sixty-one took it effectually? I think 1838.] CHARITY. 245 not. Truly, Sir, if the reputation of Jenner depended solely upon the last Vaccination in Devizes, it would suffer severely; not indeed justly, but from the culpable negligence of those whom we should naturally suppose to be anxious at least for the lives, if not for the appearances, of their children." LABOURERS' FRIEND SOCIETIES. : THE Society at Hadlow, Kent, has drawn up its second report. The facts which it states are the following thirty-two families have been received into the society, to whom were let eight acres of land, being forty rods to each, at the rate of 40s the acre. In the summer evenings might be seen sixty or seventy, parents and children, cultivating their allotments, which time would otherwise have been wasted in idleness or thrown away in a beershop. During the summer a public meeting was held, when the subscribers and friends inspected the allotments, and awarded prizes to the best cultivators. The committee had decided on extending the system through the parish, and have taken ten more acres, for which they have already forty applications. Payment of halfa crown a year constitutes a member of the society, and so well have its objects been received, that most of the ladies and gentlemen in the parish have become subscribers. At the last meeting, one of the tenants received a prize for good conduct, who had been previously considered one of the worst characters in the parish. A gentleman last year, in want of a gardener, inspected the various allotments, and was thence enabled to select one. By spade husbandry the ground is said to produce double the quantity raised by the plough. CHARITY. 66 CHARITY is a heavenly virtue, a divine Christian grace. It does not (as we learn from Scripture) mean only giving to the poor, but it means love," in its most extended sense; love to God, and love to man. It is a grace grafted in the heart of a Christian, by the Spirit of God Himself, leading the faithful servant of Christ to follow that Scriptural direction to "love God," and which teaches as also, that "he that loveth God will love his brother also.” "Charity," then, means much more than merely giving to the poor, for St. Paul shows us that a man may "give all his goods to feed the poor," and yet may "have not charity." When, however, we say this, we must not suppose that a Christian is allowed to neglect the poor and needy, or to refuse to give his help to those who are in want. This cannot be; for we are told that if any one "seeth his brother have need and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him," the love of God doth not dwell in him. "The poor shall never cease out of the land," (Deut. xv. 11.) and this gives a happy opportunity for the exertion of one great branch of Christian love and charity. In truth, it makes a great part of the business, and of the happiness, of a true Christian, to know how he can best give his assistance to those who are in need, and most usefully employ the means within his reach for that purpose. But to do this in the best way is not quite so easy as some would suppose; it requires a great deal of patient consideration. Some persons give away large sums of money; and they are very happy at the time, in thinking of the relief which they have afforded; but, when they look around at the different persons they have assisted in this way, they are often disposed, afterwards, to think that they have done but little good, and that in some cases, they have done much harm: they have taught people to look for gifts instead of looking to industry, and have thus greatly lowered their condition of life, instead of raising it. We must not, however, say that it is no duty to give: it is a duty to give it is blessed to give, "more blessed to give, than to receive:" still it is a duty to consider how we can give, so as to make our gifts useful; and, where they are likely to do harm instead of good, it becomes those who wish well to their poor neighbours, to consider whether there may not be a better way of assisting them. Where there is helpless poverty, where there is sickness, where there is no power to labour, from the loss of limb or sight, then it must be a duty to give, and this in the way which is likely to produce the most 1 |