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Cardinal Wolsey, the most absolute and wealthy minister of state this kingdom ever had, so tha in his time he seemed to govern Europe as well as England, when he came to the period of his life, left the world with this close reflection upon himself, Had I been as diligent to serve my God, as I was to please my king, he would not have left me now in my grey hairs.

From these instances, it may then be seen that, our joys here are but of short duration, that we have no permanent city here nor place of abode: that man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upward, And as the hoary-headed Partriarch said to Pharoah, after looking back to the days of his childhood and youth," Few and evil had been the days of his pilgrimage.' Soloman also says, after he had tried a thousand various experiments, like the Alchymist in pursuit በ he Philosopher's stone, he found that all his researches into nature and art, his wisdom and happiness, were but vanity and vexation of spirit. The world is like Joseph's coat, it has many colours, it is chequered with pain and sorrow, joy and woe. And, althouh we, for a time, are permitted to drink of the crystal fountain of fortune, to cool our thirst for happiness, still we are told by our Saviour, John Iv. 13 & 14, Whosoever drinketh of this water will thirst again,but whosoever drinketh of the water of life shall never thirst, but be in him a well of water springing up into ever lasting life. In religion, then, you can only find the balm of comfort; it dispels the gloomy prospects of death and eternity; brightens our hope of a future and a better life-a city whose builder and maker is God. It stands on a rock whose foundation originated with the first dawning of day, when the sons of the morning sang together and shouted for joy; when creation sprung from the chaos of nothing: and it will continue till the stars set in silence, forget to go their accustomed round, and the Sun of Righteousness hath put all enemies under his feet. Religion not only consoles you in affliction, commands you to refrain from evil, to keep yourself unspotted from the world; but to do good-not a hearer but a doer of the word-by visiting the widows and the fatherless in their affliction. We are but stewards here, and if we be entrusted with more than our neighbours of the good things of this life, it is our duty to give to those less favoured, not to keep them laid up in a napkin, or

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hid in the ground. Nor should our alms be done before men, nor with the supercilious air of one giving for ostentation, to see himself ranked with the respectable donors of the poor. In the case of benevolence, we are desired not to let the left hand know what the right hand doeth. He who giveth with vain show, and to hurt the tender feelings of the dejected and downcast that have seen better days, is certainly very reprehensible in the sight of all good and modest men. Boaz,in the book of Ruth 11. 9, 15 & 16, presents us with one of the most beautiful and modest lessons in relieving the needy, that is to be found. He did not go about promulgating his divine intentions among his neighbours; nor did he wound the faithful heart of the pensive Ruth, nor raise the conscious blush of innocence on the wan and famished cheek by his lordly demeanor. The two last verses mentioned, (15 & 16) may serve as a specimen of his becoming behaviour on this trying but friendly occasion. And when she was risen up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, Let her glean even among the sheaves, and reproach her not: And let fall also some of the handfuls of purpose for her, and leave them, that she may glean them, and rebuke her not. This judicious stratagem saved him the apology of offering her the gleanings publicly, and of ranking her with the common paupers. It had another good effect, it saved her the confusion and shame of a formal acknowledgement.-Giving in season to those in need, is like showers of rain to the parched ground.

On thee, O heaven, my hope and comfort lie
For competence of wealth,-be health my lot,
That I the wailing orphan may supply

With bread;-the needy, in the humble cot.

That pleasure mine,-the drooping soul to cheer,
The weary pilgrim, and the widow's moan;
To dry the furrow'd cheek of many a tear,
And make, O poverty, thy case my own!

But while I aid the poor,-thy tender care,
With temp'ral mercies, may they ne'er despise
The hand that feeds them from above; but share
The promis'd bliss beyond immortal skies!

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In this short letter, I cannot point out to you all that is necessary for you to believe concerning God, nor the duty that He requires of man. But one thing I must recommend unto you, and that is, a careful and attentive perusal of your BIBLE, for in it you will find the duty of a Christian while here, and a topographical description of the country and its inhabitants to which he would wish to steer his course hereafter.-It is the compass without variation; and the most correct chart of your voyage to the New Jerusalem, the haven of rest, by the best Authors. Also, in it is to be found the words of eternal life. Seek ye then, first the righteouness of Christ, and all other things will be added unto it.-The knowledge of God is great gain. I have read somewhere of a poet, who, with many others were going as passengers from one distant country to another on shipboard; but on their way a storm arose, and the ship was lost. During the gale, many of the passengers were busily engaged packing up their most valuable jewels and riches, when one of them observed the poet going about quite uncon、cernedly, and asked him why he was not securing his riches, he calmly replied, "I carry them always about me." Many of the passengers with the weight of their money, &c. sunk beneath the briny waves to rise no more, and so made their beds with the fishes in the deep. Others, on their landing on the shore, were either murdered or plundered by the natives of the place, that they might become possessed of their all; but, a noblemen who had had read the poet's works, and esteemed them much, hearing of his being among the unfortunate,waited upon him personally, took him to his house, fed him at his table, and clothed him as one of the family. Sometime after the poet met with a few of his companions in distress, begging their bread from door to door, and said unto them, "you now Such is the susee that I carry my jewels along with me." periority of the intellectual jewels. Be then, like the poet, my dear Charles, trust not in perishable riches, but in that which is able to build you up, and make grace Salvation.

you

wise unto

As it is necessary for the followers of Christ to become a member of some congregation or Church, it is very natural for you to suppose I will recommend the one in which I have been brought up and belong, but not so; nor will I recommend

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any other in preference. I wish to leave you at liberty to chose
for yourself-conscience should be free from the shackles of
another. Their is no one particular form of Church-govern-
ment, or discipline, (although many consider it the principal
part of their creed.) that I know that is more capable of carry-
ing you to heaven than another, provided that your heart, your
life, and your actions do not accord with the commands of God.
But if these agree with the written testimony handed down to
us by His inspired prophets and apostles, any of them is suf-
ficient;
it is not the outward form but the inward heart. And
certain am I that, there will be in heaven, giving glory to the
Lamb that sitteth on the throne, people out of all countries,
out of all nations, of all churches, denominations, sects, kindred
and tongues.

The disputes that have arisen among Christians, and the opprobrium and vile epithets which the one party has lavishly bestowed upon the other for their religious tenets, are truly disgraceful in a country where evangelicalpreaching may be heard in its greatest perfection. The one goes about crying, I am of Paul; another, I am of Appollos. One he is a follower of John Calvin, the other of John Arminius. Even in the present day, with shame be it spoken, how many religious, under the name of praying associations, are established, where little but hypocrisy and guile are practised? They measure their sanctity by the length and loudness of their prayers-a parcel of unmeaning words jumbled together, blasphemously telling God what He is, and charging Him with their sins and sorrows. They worship God with their lips, but their hearts are far from Him.

Religion ever pleas'd to pray,

Possess'd the precious gift one day;
Hypocrisy, of Cunning born,

Crept in and stole it ere the morn.

Their meetings are more to feed rancour, and to rail upon one another, than to glorify God. On beholding the behaviour of Calvinists to Arminians, and Arminians to Calvinists, you will say, Where is the Charity that Christ taught his disciples ? Where is the Love that he showed, and commanded them to practise towards one another, whereby all men might know

that they were his disciples? In their dealings, one with another, they are seldom according to equitg and justice, the beam always preponderates in favour of one of their own party. This is a proof that the heart is not right toward God.

Each zealot thus elate with ghostly pride,

Adores his God, and hates the world beside.

Although I despise the hypocritical cant and lengthened face of the narrow-minded partisans, I by no means think lightly nor disrespectfully of religious associations, for we have the promise of Christ, that, where two or three are gathered together in His name, there will He be in the midst of them, to bless them and to do them good.

I have been there, and still will go,

'Tis like a little heaven below.

Seeming devotion doth but gild the knave,
That's neither faithful, honest, just, or brave,
But where religion does with virtue join,
It makes a hero like an angel shine.

"

These are my reasons for leaving you to the freedom of your own will in the choice of the church to which you will become a member. I have therefore, only to request of you not to follow the example of these party-spirited bigots, but follow the Christian and praiseworthy example of Jehu when he met with Jehonadab, 2 Kings x. 15, Who, when he had saluted him, said, “Is thine heart right as my heart is with thy heart? And Jehonadab answered, it is. If it be, give me thine hand. Jehu did not say to Jehonadab, are you a Jew, or are you a Gentile? Are you a Pharisee, or are you a Sadducee? A e you of the house of Jesse and of the tribe of Judah? He did not say, are you Circumcised, or are you Uncircumcised? No! All that he wanted to know was, if his heart were right as his heart, i. e. with God: If it were, to give him his hand. Your Saviour, my dear son, was no respecter of persons; it is true he loved John more than any of the other disciples, but is it was upon account of his youth and piety-he had begun early to seek the Lord, although but one in the humblest sphere of life, a poor fisherman. Our Saviour enjoined by precept, and

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