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the cord. And the greater his desire to escape, the more he will feel his bondage. So the sinner may be a slave to his sins, and never be aware of it, till he rises to go to Christ. The growth of grace in the heart may be compared to the process of polishing metals. First, you have the dark substance, neither possessing nor reflecting light. Presently as the polisher plies his work, you see here and there a spark darting out; then a strong light, till bye and bye, it sends back the perfect image of the sun which shines upon it. So the work of grace, if begun in our hearts, must be gradually and continually going on, but will not be completed, till the image of God can be seen perfectly reflected in us. Dr. Payson.

DRUNKENNESS.

From a Correspondent.

When Mr. Sawyer, the Missionary, was in England, he had occasion to preach missionary sermons one Sunday at two different towns in Wiltshire. On his return at night to the former town, his driver took a wrong turn, and set the carriage fast in a narrow lane, being in a state of intoxication. Mr. Sawyer, more concerned for the man's soul, than for his own personal safety, expostulated strongly with him, reasoning of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, and shewing him the awful consequences of dying in his sinful unconverted state.

A few months passed away, and the man's constitution be came broken by long habits of intemperance, and he was brought to a sick and dying bed. There he called his ways to remembrance, and began to tremble for the wrath to come. Being asked if he remembered what Mr. Sawyer had said to him, he said, "O yes, I do, and I wish I had to drive him again, I could like to have him talking to me all the day long, I should never tire of hearing his conversation." The poor man was directed to the Saviour, and continued to his end in the prayer of the publican, "God, be merciful to me a sinner."

Reader, what a dreadful vice is drunkenness! see what a slave the drunkard is to his besetting sin: how he wastes his earnings, breaks the holy Sabbath, becomes the cruel injurer of his wife and children, renders himself unfit to be trusted with life or property, and shuts himself clean out from the kingdom of God; surely, because of drunkenness the land mourneth, hell

hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure. O drunkard, drunkard, flee from the wrath to come; cease to do evil, learn to do well.

Let all, and especially ministers of the Gospel, exert themselves to rescue sinners from destruction by obeying that precept, "thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him." This man looked upon Mr. Sawyer as his best friend for so doing: and who can tell but he may save a soul from death by such means, for reproofs of instruction are the way of life. But against such a sin as drunkenness, it is not sufficient for us only to protest; we ought all as one man to set our faces against it. This may best be done by means of Temperance Societies, which have been much recom-. mended in your publication and others. Let every one have a Temperance Society, as a city set upon a hill. To it let all the lovers of sobriety flock as to a standard, exhorting one another by its means, and watching over one another's welfare. God has wonderfully blessed this method, and will do so, wherever it is used with regard to his glory, to stop the way of the destroyer. But O how longsuffering is God! God is a jealous God, strong and patient, and God is provoked every day. His goodness and longsuffering leads us to repentance. The blood of his Son flowed freely for drunkards, fornicators, swearers, and sinners of every description, that they being dead to sin might live unto righteousness. O that this love might constrain every sinner that is going astray, to return to the fold of the good Shepherd; this would cause joy to God and his angels, and blessings unspeakable to the returning penitent; for "when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive,"

"THY WILL BE DONE.

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My God and Father, while I stay
Far from my home in life's rough way,
Oh! teach me from my heart to say,

Thy will be done,

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"Where hast thou gleaned this day ?"

The shadows gather thick and fast,

The busy toil of day is done,

The purple clouds have caught their last
Faint glow of light from yonder sun;
Yet ere I sleep 'twere well to cast
One thought on hours for ever gone:
Let conscience speak-I pray thee say,
My heart, where hast thou gleaned this day?

It may be with the careless crowd
That thou hast walked in folly's train;
And there, how vainly hast thou bowed

For profit on a barren plain:

How couldst thou reap where none have sowed
Save seed of vanity and pain?

And thou hast corn nor olive bought,

But spent thy strength and toil for nought.

Or hast thou joined thy willing hands
With those the cherished and the loved,
And gladly with affection's bands

In ease and pleasure's valley roved?

Though bright her bowers, though fair her lands,
Fruitless and vain thy toil has proved:

For all that thou from thence hast borne

Are fading weeds and wounding thorn.

Or could the hill of pride entice
Thy often too unguarded eye;
Or wealth, or power, or avarice,
With pastures barren, bleak and dry;
Or fame's reputed paradise

Lure thee to prove her vanity?

And thoughtest thou that these could give
The bread alone by which we live?

Yet was there one fair harvest field,
Rich with a full and plenteous store;
And goodly grain the reapers yield
To those who glean its furrows o'er:
If thou hast there thy basket filled,
Hunger and want are thine no more:
Oh! blessed thou beyond compare,
My heart, if thou hast gleaned there.
The bread of life, the word of truth,
Oh! hast thou sought its sacred page;
To be thy stay and strength in youth,
Thy never-failing store in age;

To cheer thee, comfort thee, and soothe,
Throughout thine earthly pilgrimage:
Most blessed if to thee be given

That "Bread of Life," the Lord of heaven.

ESFERANCE.

FOSTER, PRINTER, KIRKBY LONSDALE.

FRIENDLY VISITOR.

No. CLXVIII.]

SEPTEMBER, 1832.

[VOL. XIV.

SOME REFLECTIONS ON EXODUS xvii. 15, 16.

"And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovah-nissi : for he said, because the Lord hath sworn that the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation."

A most instructive chapter-may God bless it to my careless soul!

The Israelites have just left Egypt; are just delivered from their bondage; Pharaoh and his host have perished before their eyes; and they have now proceeded several days' journey in the wilderness-not without much murmuring and repining indeed--but as yet they have only met with hindrances from the want of their daily food, and these have ever been removed by the gracious hand of their God.

In the beginning of the chapter we read, that "they journeyed from the wilderness of Sin," and at the very first place they pitched their tents, they "did chide with Moses," because there was no water.

Alas! how common a case is it for those, who are now beginning their journey from the wilderness of sin, to murmur and be discouraged at the first little hindrance they meet with; as if God was bound to make a smooth easy way for them, or as if he were benefitted by their return. Do I not read- "Strait is the gate, and narrow is the way"? why then is it that I expect to find it otherwise? why am I discouraged by the "first want of a drop of water"?

Moses applied to God, and was directed to proceed to Mount Horeb-"the rock in Horeb," and smite it with his rod. "And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel;" and thus the water flowed in abundance.

Here may the penitent sinner find his own case. Discouraged, faint and weary, his strength fast ebbing away, he looks around--but nothing is there to cheer him. Among his society and companions, perhaps there are

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