A FEW days after our last conversation, Charles called on me with a countenance full of anxiety and perplexity, and it was some time before he could gain courage to tell me the cause of his agitation, in answer to my repeated entreaties. At length he told me that he had been appointed one of the clerks in a large public office, where a vacancy had just occurred, by the sudden death of a young man, who had been only a few months in the situation. This young man had been an intimate friend of Charles, but ceased to keep company with him, when he found Charles refused to join him in parties where gaming and drunkenness often closed the evening. Charles felt his death keenly; for, with all his faults, Edward was of a warm and affectionate disposition, and

VOL. XX.

Y

had it not been for his bad companions, he would gladly have joined Charles in attending public worship; but "the fear of man, which bringeth a snare "-the dread of being seen and laughed at by any of his gay associates, kept him aloof, and Charles had scarcely seen him for six months, when he was called on the morning before his visit to me, to give his evidence as to the identity of his poor friend, who had been found dead in his bed, at a small inn in one of the neighbouring villages, having, as was supposed, been seized with a fit, after spending the night in drinking: all the rest of his party had left the village, and not one remained to give an account of the manner in which they had passed the evening. The fear of punishment kept them from approaching the scene of death; and Charles alone recognized in the pale and haggard corpse before him the once gay and thoughtless Edward. The superintendent of the office, in which the hapless young man had been employed, was so struck with the feeling and good sense which Charles showed, when called upon to give an account of his poor friend's disposition and previous habits, that when the investigation was over, he called him aside, and immediately offered him the situation that Edward had filled. Overcome by this unexpected proposal, Charles begged time for consideration; and, going home, passed some hours in earnest prayer for Divine guidance to determine his course. He scarcely slept during the night; and came to my lodging, as before described, in a state of much mental suffering; being totally unable to decide whether he should accept the tempting proposal. We agreed to walk to our blind friend, and consult her upon this weighty matter. We soon opened the business to her, and begged her advice and opinion. "Let us open the prayer-book, friends," said the old woman, "our last Sunday's collect is the best prayer we can use; and let us together beseech the Lord mercifully to hear us when we call upon Him, and to grant that we may both perceive and know what things we ought to do, and also have grace and power faithfully to fulfil the same. The calling which our friend has been invited to undertake is an honest employment; it will enable him to eat his own bread, and be chargeable to no one. We are

taught in Scripture, that man must toil for his daily support, and that even St. Paul himself provided for his own wants with his own hands, by working at the trade of a tent-maker: this teaches us that Christians must shrink from no labour but such as is sinful, and contrary to the law of God. Doubtless, Charles will find many snares and temptations in his new situation; but what calling can he follow where he will be free from all hindrance to his salvation? I have lived a long life, and never yet heard of any state or condition which placed a man beyond the power of Satanexcept that of the saints in heaven. Let our employment be ever so holy, our wily tempter will seek to fill our hearts with evil thoughts, and even turn our very prayers into sin. We carry about with us a corrupt nature; and till we are freed from this, we never can be free from sin. Our life, whatever be our calling, must be a continual warfare between the flesh and the spirit; and our only hope of victory lies in being earnest in prayer for help against our unseen but powerful enemies. You both well know our Lord's prayer for his disciples, when He was leaving them-He did not pray that his Father would take them out of the world, but only that He would keep them from the evil.""

upon

"Thank you, dear friend," said Charles, "you have satisfied my mind that I may safely enter upon this business; and you have given me advice which I may depend, because it is drawn from the Word of God; that Word which is a light to our feet, and a lantern to our paths.' By its blessed guidance I may still faithfully walk, praying earnestly for wisdom and spiritual understanding, that I may not only know the will of God, but do it; and relying on the aid of that Spirit which helpeth our infirmities, and of that merciful Father, who can supply all my need, according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." L. S. R.

THE LAW AND THE GOSPEL.

EVERY sin, every transgression of God's law, is as a debt set down against us-a debt which we have no means of

paying. No one of mortal men has ever wholly kept God's law, wholly in thought, in word, and in deed. Every one, therefore, is considered as a transgressor of the law; the Scripture, therefore, has "concluded all under sin:" and no man has any power to pay the debt, no one can undo what has past, no one can purchase pardon for his past sins. The sinner, dreading the execution of the sentence which hangs over every transgressor, seeks for relief. He is grieving for his offences, and, labouring under a sense of his danger, he seeks earnestly for pardon; he not only laments his past offences, and his past negligences, but he desires to give up these sins, and to lead a new life. This is repentance-it is sorrow for past sin, and a desire and endeavour to forsake sin for the time to come. All this is good and right; but still there is often a grief of heart to the repenting sinner, who knows the holy nature of God, and understands his perfect justice. This grief of heart arises from a feeling, that, though there is repentance, sorrow for past sin, and a newness of character, yet still there is the guilt of past sin remaining, a debt set down in God's book: and the penitent does not see how this debt has been cancelled or paid; for he knows that his own repentance has no power to take away the condemnation for his past offences, any more than an extravagant man, who had incurred debts, could pay those debts by being sorry for them, and being careful for the time to come. Now such is the case with a repenting sinner, if he knows the nature of God's law, and has not learned the privileges and blessings connected with the Gospel. We cannot wonder, then, that the Apostle Paul should, in such strong expression of misery, describe the state of one who knew the purity and perfection of God's holy law, and the impurity and imperfection of man's nature; and that he, and every awakened sinner must exclaim, "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?"

But the Apostle, knowing the blessings of the Gospel, answers the question, and blesses God that a way for pardon is opened" through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Rom. vii. 24, 25.) Christ has paid the debt; He has suffered

in man's stead; and the past sins of the penitent are blotted out of the book of God, in consequence of the price paid by the sufferings of Christ. This is the Gospel; this is the scheme of mercy. The life of one who thus embraces the Gospel, and receives its benefits, is a new life, a holy life; it is a holy life under the guidance of God's Holy Spirit; it is "a death unto sin, and a new birth unto righteousness."

LOT'S CHOICE.

"Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire, from the Lord out of heaven."-GENESIS xix. 24.

Mary. Aunt Lucy, what did Mr. A. refer to when he said that Lot had brought this trouble on himself?

A. Lucy. He referred to the early history of Lot, where we are told that he chose to dwell in Sodom rather than in the land of Canaan.

Mary. But did not Abraham tell him, to choose which way he would go? Why was he wrong ?

A. Lucy. If you look back to the chapter in Genesis, where the account is given, you will find that at that time the people of Sodom were very wicked. I think the expression is," sinners before the Lord exceedingly." Was not Lot wrong then to go and dwell among them by choice?

Mary. Certainly he was.

A. Lucy. His motive, also, is a bad one. He saw that the plain was well watered; thus he considered the worldly advantages of the situation, and does not seem to have thought of the moral disadvantages. Let us recollect Mr. A.'s advice, and ask ourselves, "Are we sure that we have never been guilty of this very sin?"

Mary. I remember once when I should have been guilty of it, had I been left to my own choice as Lot was, but my mother prevented me?

A. Lucy. If you have no objection, tell me what circumstance your refer to?

Mary. Two years ago Mrs. M. offered to send me to a school at L——, where I should learn a great deal. I wished very much to go, but my mother objected, because