Afew pious clergymen who have seen this man, found his spiritual knowledge far above what was described to them; and had reason to praise God in him for his wonderful works. He died in about a year and an half after the clergyman first. met him; who regretted much that his distance from him, and other engagements, prevented him having many conversations with him, and an opportunity of bringing him to hear the gospel preached, which he purposed; but the Lord, when he left him long enough to be a witness among the people, took him to join the song of the redeemed. ON THE RURAL RETIREMENTS OF PROFESSORS. Rev. Sir, To the Editor. WITH great pleasure I have observed many Hints in your useful Repository, for doing good to the souls and bodies of our indigent fellow-creatures; nor is it among the least causes of such pleasure that those hints have not originated from sectarian views, or been intended to promote the interests of a party. I have long wished to see a few observations on the subject, which now occupy my thoughts; but not recollecting that any one has noticed it, I venture to solicit the attention of your readers for a few minutes. I have observed, in the conduct of many wealthy Christians, a disregard to the example of Him" who went about doing good," particularly in the exercise of self-denial. There are many persons, who have long been the ornaments of London churches, to whom "the God of the whole earth" has distributed abundantly, preserved by real godliness from those ways which not only endanger the soul, but waste the property. These persons, excited by the same divine principles to proper carefulness and industry, have been enabled to lay up the means of retirement, and, in the course of time, have indulged a disposition to leave their former busy scenes to their children, or faithful domestics, and resort to some country town or village to spend the remainder of their days in a more recluse way. Such among these are the subjects of the present remarks, who are disposed to make to them selves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness, ploy what God has given them to some useful purpose, remembering that we are to labour, not only to supply our own wants, but that we may have to give him that needeth." It may be asked then, What is the cause of complaint? I answer, It is not their pious endeavours that I complain of; but the preference they give to certain spheres and methods before 32 to em those which appear to me to promise far more extensive usefulness. - -- Such persons, when they are about to remove, gencrally enquire, What town contains the most united church, — the most numerous and flourishing congregation, the most popular preacher? Where, say they, shall we meet with the most agreeable society, the most respectable and consistent professors, a community which labours under no disgrace,a people looked upon with respect by the other inhabitants of the place? These enquiries, we must all confess, are in some respects good; but let us ask, Whether, in the instances wherein the enquirers have been answered according to their wishes, they have not lessened their opportunities of usefulness in the church of God? and whether they should not rather enquire, Where they can introduce the gospel, can hold up, by their pecuniary assistance and advice, the hands of some poor but faithful minister, where, by constantly resorting with their families to the place of worship, they can set an exainple to the rest of the village or town? · where they can open and support a school for the benefit of the poor inhabitants, and their children? where, in short, they can, in any mea sure, make" the wilderness and the solitary place glad for them, and the desert rejoice and blossom as the rose" I am thankful, as no doubt many of my fathers and brethren in the ministry are, for the liberal assistance received from those who have rethed into the places where the Lord of the vineyard has called us to labour. Many of them have added to the comfort, union, and prosperity of both ministers and people; but how many places are there, after all the exertions that have been made, where the gospel is not, but might be introduced how many, where the gospel already is, who appear only to want the presence and patronage of some pious and liberal family to make the interest flourish! There certainly are many numerous and rich congregations in our large towns and cities, which could, without any material detriment, spare a few of their members for the blessed purpose of distributing more widely the treasures of godliness? and how many instances are there, wherein the conduct now recommended has been abundantly blessed, and after a few poor but pious persons have been labouring in vain for many years to augment their number, and gain the attendance of their neighbours at the sanctuary, the sudden residence of a respectable individual or family among them has been the means of animating their feeble endeavours, and answering their ardent wishes and prayers! Several instances of this kind might be mentioned within the circuit of a few miles, and which have recently taken place: at the same time, there are many wherein persons of fortune, talents, and piety have fixed with churches, which did not so much stand in need of their aid, and appear deaf to the cries of many declining or destitute places around them, "Come over, come over, and help us!" I hope there is not a minister anong us who would not be willing, having a moderate income himself, to sacrifice a little, in order that his ignorant neighbours might share in those blessings which local circumstances and stated labours prevent his personally communicating to them; and the respectable individuals here addressed, may be assured that their absence from larger churches would be far from desirable, but for the probability there is of greater good being done by such a plan. Let the men of the world indulge an inglorious ease; but let it never be said of the Christian, that, growing weary of the pursuit, he stops short of the object he professed to have in view. Nothing is so likely to prevent invasion, and put a stop to war, as the extensive dissemination of gospel principles. It will be clearly seen, that these remarks do not apply to those who are engaged in business. We rejoice that many of these, unable to grant their presence in the villages, endeavour liberally to support itinerant institutions; but to others we would say, "Disperse, fix on these spots, not where you can gain most ease, but where you can do most good." Yourself, Sir, and your readers will, I trust, be convinced that I wish not to encourage a versatile disposition,—but those endeavours which are calculated more widely to promote the honour of that Name which is above every name. Southampton. Yours, H. L.. THE ANXIOUS PARENT. THEOPHILUS is a father who feels deeply for the spiritual interests of a numerous family: this sometimes casts a sadness over his countenance, which he cannot always conceal. With some professors, this is a great crime. They will admit that a man may look sad on account of the loss of worldly property; or if some favourite scheme fails of success; or if he has six or eight children lying under a deadly disorder, and is uncertain as to the issue; or if any of them are not prospering in the world: but he must not go mourning from day to day, because his children are neglecting the great concerns of their souls, because of the bad success of parental instruction, and from the consideration of their being dying creatures, and exposed to the wrath of God. The truth is, with a certain description of persons, a man may be serious about any thing but religion he may grieve for the loss of any thing but spiritual blessings. S. Mr. Editor, ON THE ESTABLISHMENT OF NEW SUNDAY-SCHOOLS. Having heard of the very good effect produced by the visit of a young Female Friend of mine into Pembrokeshire, in the year 1803, I solicited her to let me have a narrative thereof, in order to its insertion in your Magazine. I was induced to do this, with a view of stimulating other Christians to follow her example when they visit the dark and barren corners of the land. The following Letters will furnish abundant proof of the good which may be done by an individual, in stirring up the zeal, and giving a suitable direction to the exertions of serious persons in forming Sunday-Schools, even in places where, at first sight, there seems the greatest scarcity of both teachers and money. The extensive and lasting good likely to arise from the visits of this young Lady to the places where she has been the instrument of forming Sunday-Schools, is, both in a moral and religious point of view, more worthy of being recorded than either the travels or voyages of the most enlightened or celebrated hero of modern history. J. T. I SIT down to comply with your request, by giving you some account of my visit to Tenby. I fear some things will appear too minute, while others will confirm you in what you already believe, that" with God, all things are possible." When he has any work to be done, how often does he employ means which seem to us the most unlikely to become effectual *. I left home on Friday evening, July 29, and arrived at Tenby on Lord's Day, after a fair and pleasant passage; but was too much fatigued to attend the preaching, in a room at the lower end of the town. The next morning my object was to procure lodgings; and, if possible, with serious people. In this I was highly favoured, there being an apartment vacant in the house where the preaching was the evening before. I passed the week very pleasantly with the daughter of my landlady, a serious young woman. On Saturday I began to feel myself low and uncomfortable, with the thoughts of having no food for my soul on the approaching Sabbath; but, in this instance, I found the promise verified, "They that hunger and thirst after righteousness, shall be filled." When making my feelings known to my young friend, she informed me that the gospel was preached at a little village, called St. Florance, about three miles and a half from thence; and if I wished to 1 Cor. i. 27, 28. go, she would accompany me. I gladly accepted her offer. The chape! was small, but well filled with plain and pious people. Mr. B. Davis, of Haverfordwest, preached from Jer. xxxii. 39: - it was to ne" a time of refreshing from the presence of the Lord." In the afternoon, returning with Miss H. we con ersed on the importance and utility of Sabbath-Schools. Grieved, indeed, was I to find, that there was no such thing for many miles round that neighbourhood; and at the same time, abundance of children who, at four or five years of age, learned to swear. In the evening Mr. Davis came to Tenby, and preached in the house where I lodged. The. room was quite full, and many standing at the windows. - On the Sabboth, Aug. 21, I went again to St. Florance with Miss H. when we renewed the subject of Sabbath-Schools. I gave her several instances of their utility in London, Bristol, and Scotland. She was pleased; and expressed a wish that something could be done there. Mr. J. Davis, from Bethlehem, in Carmarthen, was the minister that day. The word was attended with power. The people are poor in general, as to this world's goods; but many of them, I trust, are rich in faith. O how did it delight nie to see them hanging upon the lips of the preacher, afraid to lose a single syllable and some of them bathed in tears, adding their hearty Amen to many of the sentences he dropped among them! At this time I was favoured with the opportunity of sitting at the Lord's Table with the members of this infant church, nine in number: it was a feast indeed! Being in the habit of receiving in a church where there are 2 or 300 communicants, it appeared strange to me to see an halfpenny roll and a piat bottle of wine produced on such an occasion. One circustance occurred, that I beg leave to mention, beca se, by it I think you will be able to form an idea of the si: pacity and honesty of these poor people: After the eleme its were distributed, the prite was handed round for the collection to be made for the poor. ing a stranger, it was presented first to me. I put in my shilling. The good man whispered me, "A penny is enough" and finding I still let it, when going out of the chapel, he overtook me, and to me, I was going without my change. -O, Sir, what pleasures do the people of God enjoy, that the world knows nothing of! One is fed with the finest of the wheat, whilst the other is only filling himself with husks. -- Be In the evening I went to a poor weather-beaten cot at the lower end of the town, and heard Mr. Davis again; but how was my heart affected when he asked for a Bible to read his text! Several houses were sent to before one could be procured; if I mistake not, seven or eight.. After the service, I was asked to spend an hour with Mrs. II. and Mr. Davis; also with Mr. Arnold Davis, at that time an itinerant in South Wales. As soon as I entered the room, Mr. Davis said, he had |