his assistance from the fields, and during the whole time that they were righting the waggon, and helping the struggling horse which was down, the man, I perceived by his actions, was proceeding with the same language of hell.

I hastened, in the hope that a word of reproof might be timely addressed, when a fine looking young man said,

If you do not stop that blasphemy, I'll leave you to manage for yourselves.

This only turned the abuse from the horses to himself, when the young man appealed to me

Will you kindly lend a helping hand, Sir? If I had but this poor animal fairly upon his legs, I'd go back to my work.

I immediately lent all the assistance in my power; but it was not an easy job; the frightened animals, trembling at the voice of their driver, could with difficulty be held. It was at length effected, and another man took the charge of them. It was in vain to speak to the driver; every attempt to argue with him encreased his rage; and I gladly withdrew into the field with the young man, who said,

I perceive, Sir, you are struck with

the wickedness of that man he has called upon God to curse those horsestheir eyes, their bones, their legs,-and one would think that God meant to give him his desire. Did you see them, Sir?

Yes, they seemed to be mad with fear, or as if they were indeed actually universally cursed.

The man had his business to attend to, and I proceeded on my way home, reflecting on the dreadful sin of swearing, and on all the different shades of sin comprehended in that prohibition, “THOU SHALT NOT TAKE THE NAME OF THE LORD THY GOD IN VAIN." And my mind rested on that scripture, "Because of swearing the land mourneth." Remaining on my mind, it gave a turn to my thoughts in my dreams on my bed.

I imagined myself on the top of a very high hill, looking on a beautiful country, but surrounded with people who to my horror all had the aspect of the waggoner. They all seemed to have their different avocations, and whilst some were busy in their trades, others were engaged in amusements, and others again in conversation.

A trembling seized my limbs, as I cast my eyes over the individuals. The

scowling brow, or the flashing eye, or the contracted jaw, all bespoke the murderous and blaspheming heart, and my heart sickened with fear, as in one moment my ear seemed to open to hear the words they were uttering. Oaths, Imprecations, Revenge, seemed to fire every tongue. The tradesman--the artizan-the labourer-all cursed their several employments, tools, or animals. The gambler-the sportsman-all cursed their horses, their dogs, their games, their cards, their dice, and whatever they were engaged with. The conversationists broke out in mutual curses of each other, for differing sentiments, or provoking contradictions. In an almost phrenzy of horror, on finding myself so surrounded, I threw myself down on the ground, and laid my head in the dust, that I might no longer hear. But from this position I was roused by rumbling sounds in the earth. Again I stood up; I lifted up my eyes to the heavens ; I saw them gather blackness, and the oaths proceeding from men's mouths seemed to take a visible form, and to ascend as a thick smoke. Then there appeared a vision of a fiend gathering the rising vapour into an immense funnel-formed

vessel, which being inverted, drew it under as into a dome, and it thence. issued in a column through the upper aperture with condensed and deepened blackness, a voice like hollow thunder crying out, Hear their prayers! hear their prayers! In instant reply, a flash of lightning, which seemed to open heaven, drove back the column, spread it wide over the face of heaven, and it descended in a destructive torrent down upon the earth whence it had arisen.

In a moment the face of every thing was changed-diseases, blindness, madness, destruction, death, showered down on men, animals, and things. A blight blasted the vegetable world, which before bloomed in beauty. Shrieks of horror, and howls of despair, broke forth in the same moment, and then, all was still as death, silent as the grave.

Devastation was all around, and in an awful voice I heard these words, They have their hearts' desire; their curses are come down upon them," Because of swearing the land mourneth!" Then lamentation and woe was heard, mourning and sorrow. Then in an agony of mind I took up the sorrowful cry, "Because of swearing the land mourneth!" and repeating it audibly, I awoke.

This, my friend, is the vision which has saddened my heart, and spread my countenance with gravity.

There was something so affecting, both in the dream, and in the manner in which my friend related it, that I remained silent, awfully impressed with the solemnity of his feelings.

After a long pause, he said, But what can we make of these impressions? Can we do any good? Can we stop the torrent of vice? Can we warn sinners? O that I had the spirit, the heart, the calling of a Reformer,-then would I go forth, and proclaim the command of God in the drowsy ears of men, with a voice should let them know, that " God spake THESE WORDS, AND SAID, THOU SHALT NOT TAKE THE NAME OF THE LORD THY GOD IN VAIN, FOR THE LORD WILL NOT HOLD HIM GUILTLESS THAT TAKETH HIS NAME IN VAIN!" He rose spontaneously from the breakfast table, and I also; and, with a kind of mutual understanding, we walked into the garden, and fell into a more quiet conversation on the important subject.

Suppose, I said, we endeavour, by the blessing of God, to bear this subject in mind, and in our way, as it shall please Him to help us, we make it a principal point, in our future conversation amongst