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2.That these foul and frightful suggestions have not the consent of thy will appears by this, that thou hast a loathing and abhorring of them; which speaks the greatest aversion, and so is far from a consenting of the will. What is forcibly cast into the mind cannot be said to be received with our consent. It is out of our power to prevent evil thoughts. These are the buffetings of Satan. Paul had " messenger of Satan to buffet him," which was as a " thorn in his flesh," constantly pricking and keeping him uneasy, and tempting him to impatience; and he prayed earnestly and repeatedly to be delivered from this cross, but his request was not granted; yet he received an answer more gracious and beneficial than the removal of the thorn would have been; for God said unto him, " My grace is sufficient for thee."

The heart assailed by Satan, is like a city besieged, within which there lie concealed many traitors, who, as far as they dare, will give encouragement and aid to the enemy without. And this creates the chief difficulty in the case of many temptations; for although there is not a full consent, or a prevailing willingness, yet there is something which too much concurs with the temptation; except in shocking blasphemies, which fill the soul with terror. The soul afflicted with these temptations is apt to think its case singular: it is ready to exclaim, Never were any of God's children in this condition. must be some strange corruption which induces the enemy thus to assault me, and some awful displeasure of God towards me, which makes him permit such a temptation.' To which it may be replied,

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Afflictions of this kind, are no new thing, and that with the real children of God such cases are not uncommon, in every age, and occur in the pastoral experience of every faithful minister. Some persons have, for years, been so afflicted with these temptations, that they have pined away and have been brought near the gates of death; and these, too, persons of no ordinary piety. Take then the following directions: 1. Learn to discriminate between the temptation and the sin of the temptation. 2. Examine with care, what transgressions may have occasioned this sore affliction. 3. Humble yourself before God with fasting and prayer, and supplicate the throne of grace to obtain the mercy of God through the merits of thy Saviour, for the full and free pardon of whatever sin has occasioned these temptations; beseeching God to rebuke Satan; and then make an unreserved resignation of thyself into the hands of JESUS, the GREAT SHEPHERD of the flock, that he may keep thee as a tender lamb, from the paw and teeth of the roaring lion. 4. If still these thoughts intrude, turn your mind quickly away from them: they are most effectually subdued by neglect. 5. "O thou afflicted, tossed with tempests and not comforted," do as children with their parents, when they see any thing frightful they cling closer and hold faster. So do thou with thy God and Saviour. Satan's aim is to drive you from God into some desperate conclusions, or into some ruinous act; but thou mayest disappoint this subtle adversary, by running to Christ as your refuge, and cleaving to him with humble, believing confidence; and when Satan sees this, he will soon cease from the violence of his temptations. And when the devil hath left thee; angels will come and minister unto thee; especially the ANGEL OF THE COVENANT, CHRIST JESUS. He shall rejoice thy soul with the quickening graces and cheering comforts of his Spirit.

THE PRODIGAL RETURNED.

"For this my son was dead, and is alive again, he was lost, and is found."

IN a beautiful, quiet town in the south-west part of lived the young man, a portion of whose history is here sketched. His father was a farmer of independent estate, of unimpeachable integrity, of industrious habits, and of devoted piety. His mother was of kindred spirit, a help-meet indeed. By their united efforts, they reared a large family, and spread around them a noble farm, which yielded its annual products in great abundance.

The substantial farm house stood on a moderate elevation, commanding a most delightful prospect. At its front was a row of beautiful elms, whose thick, deep, green foliage intercepted the piercing rays of the meridian sun, affording no mean shelter from the falling rain, and adorning the beautiful eminence. On one side glided the silent stream, soon emptying into the peaceful lake, from whose border arose the gradual, yet majestic hill, with sides striped by fertile fields, and with summit adorned with a beautiful grove. On the other, lay the fruitful, far-reaching plain, which so often waved in golden harvest beauty.

Every thing within and around the establishment seemed fitted to inspire contentment and happiness. Morning and evening, the circle of devotion was gathered around

'The old-fashioned Bible that lay on the stand.'

And the God of the families of the earth was humbly invoked by the venerable patriarch and head. All secular toils ended with Saturday's setting sun; and regularly as the Sabbath came, the milkwhite steed moved on with almost devotional step to the village church. Happy family! Who can wish to cast into such a circle, seeds of sorrow? But even around this enclosure, this happy fireside, a feel destroyer lurks. With all the serpent subtlety, which,

'With burnish'd neck of verdant gold,'

approached our first mother, he tempts his victim. In the mind of one son of this happy family, there springs up a desire to leave the restraints of paternal love and faithfulness, and the healthful labors of the farmer in the retired vale, for fashionable employment, and the bustling scenes of the town. The mistaken boy left his quiet home, and soon mingled in the scenes of gaiety and dissipation, which the town life afforded. And now, how changed! Sin glitters in his eyes-spreads her soft carpet at his feet, and pours her honeyed accents into his ear. He meets temptation at every turn, and many of his constant companions are the victims of the destroyer. For a time he often visits the paternal roof, but a few miles distant, and from them received a healthful check.

He grew up to manhood, and thus far had kept the enemy within his controul.

In appearance he was a model-robust, manly, handsome. He succeeded to a good business and was prosperous. He married an ac

AUGUST, 1843.

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complished lady, and for a time no dark cloud was seen to lower in the horizon of their earthly prospects.

It was not until she was the mother of two lovely children, that the indescribably sorrowful truth flashed clearly upon her, that their father was a drunkard. What unutterable anguish does the wife feel, when the fatal truth presses itself upon her mind, that her companion, the cherished one of her pride and hopes, and on whose protecting arm she leans for support, and to whom through every scene and change she had clung as the ivy clings to the stately oak, has fallen a victim to the artful wiles of the deadliest of human foes. Then there enters into her dwelling the gloom of despair; agony, that tears the heart, that rends the spirit; wo, that cannot be alleviated, that will not be comforted.

For some time half-suppressed suspicions had robbed her of perfect rest. His long absences had been excused by a hesitating indefiniteness, and his interest in his idol family seemed diminished. At last, the secret came out, and all its threaded process was exposed. 'He is a drunkard!' sobbed the broken-hearted wife: the agonized parents exclaimed, Attempt not to comfort us, we will go down with sorrow to the grave.' He had been first enticed to drink in the fashionable party; next he occasionally called at the respectable hotel, and at length, spent his hours at the gilded saloon, and from that, he descended to the commonest haunt of dissipation that lurks in the wall. He was now regarded as a miserable, ruined man, and his history for a few years is the history of a drunkard, a disgrace to his friends, a curse to his family, and a nuisance to society. His property was rapidly wasted, his home was desolate. He paused not in his career, till he found himself within the gloomy walls of a prison. There he began to meditate on his past life, and his present condition; the wrongs, which his wife and children and his parents had endured at his hands, came up in sad review before his mind. The stings of conscience were awakened, and remorse gnawed at his heart. The last event was too much for his father; his heart was broken, and he lay upon the bed of death. He had one request; he prayed that God would spare his life till he could see his son once more. The prayer was answered. The son returned; he entered the sick room; the old man still breathed, and as he saw him, his eye brightened, and his countenance was lit up as with new life. I have prayed for this hour,' said he, and now I ask you to make one solemn promise; it is, that you will live a sober man.' 'I will,' he answered, and the tears flowed thick and fast. The father died; his spirit passed peacefully up to Him who gave it. The history of the son from that hour forms a brighter page. He took the pledge, borne in the hands of one who had been a similar slave. On this, as the life-boat of the ship-wrecked mariner, he cast himself, and was saved. Among the delighted throng there was one, whose emotions language cannot describe-his wife. O, the raptures of that day! tears of joy was all the expression to which she could give utterance. His widowed mother could only exclaim, "This my son was dead, and is alive again, he was lost, and is found."

ON CONFIRMATION.

IN Confirmation you promise to renounce the world. Ask yourself, what is implied in this renunciation. It cannot mean less than this: that you yield up all expectation of happiness from riches, grandeur, amusements, gay company, worldly companions, &c. "The world lieth in wickedness," consequently, the greater part of the people who now live upon the earth are ungodly, the enemies of Jesus Christ, and unfit for his heavenly kingdom. To live, therefore, as other people live; to follow the established customs and usages of mankind at large; to be actuated by the same hopes and fears, joys, and expectations, is to conform to the world, to love it: and to love the world is to be the enemy of God. Have you the courage to make such a sacrifice? Can you deliberately choose a life of detachment in heart and affections from the gay vanities that surround you, and seek your portion in the kingdom of God? You are to renounce yourself. This act implies a giving up your own will, not living to please yourself, not choosing nor acting from humour, from caprice, from selfish views and considerations, but studying what is the will of your Lord and Saviour in all things.

The love of ease and self-indulgence, a fondness for pleasure, reading such books and choosing such conversation as tend to fill the imagination with fantastic notions, and to corrupt the mind even more than idleness itself, argues a state quite the reverse of self-renunciation. Nothing is innocent that is not in some proper sense good; nor can we be much worse employed than in occupations which serve merely to gratify the cravings of an unsubdued mind. Recollect that from henceforth you are to claim no dominion over yourself, but to surrender up your understanding, your will, your desires, and affections to God," whose you are, and whom alone you ought to serve"-You are to feel and act as becomes a disciple of Jesus Christ; and when you are in doubt, whether any particular action be expedient or not, consider honestly whether if you attended on our Lord and Saviour as holy women did in the days of his humanity, it is probable that he would lead you into such a scene, or vouchsafe his presence on such an occasion. The life of a Christian is a course of mortification, self-denial, unremitting hostility against all evil within and without you; and a looking forward to the heavenly glory and blessedness, as your consolation and reward. You are to renounce the devil and all his works. That wicked spirit who is the enemy of God and man, is described as a proud spirit, a lying spirit, a malevolent being, a murderer, a seducer, a calumniator, &c. We are to be careful how we indulge any tempers like his, or imitate him in his hellish dispositions. It is proper to watch against his temptations, but we need not be afraid of his power, since our Almighty Redeemer has promised to bruise Satan under the feet of his people. When you are tempted to be proud, or passionate, or envious, or discontented, &e., lift up your heart in fervent prayer to Jesus Christ, and he will deliver you from your own evil heart and from your spiritual enemies. Above all, labour for a devout frame of mind, since to live in the spirit of fervent prayer is to live on the confines of heaven. P.

Review of Books.

THE PERILS OF THE NATION. An Appeal to the Legislature, the Clergy, and the Higher and Middle Classes. Pp. xliv. and 399. London. Seeley, Burnside, and Seeley, 1843.

AMONG the vast mass of important or worthless volumes continually pouring forth from the press, we occasionally meet with one, that has about it an originality and interest, which entitle it to a larger share than usual of our attentive regard.

This is certainly the case with the volume before us. It is true indeed, that there is nothing new under the sun;' but facts may be gathered together and presented to our notice, in a manner, which may cause every day incidents to have even the charm of novelty attached to them.

We confess that it is with mingled emotions of interest, too profound to be altogether pleasing; of surprise verging towards astonishment, and mingling with horror, that we have perused this extraordinary volume. In our most gloomy moments, we had scarcely allowed ourselves to forbode, that such a mass of fearful evidence could be collected with regard to the condition of our own country, or that such a direful picture could, consistently with truth, be drawn of our own highly favoured land!

We are well aware that those whose interest it is to conceal from the public, the true state of the case, will smile at what they affect to call our credulity; and that the large mass of persons, utterly ignorant of the subject, will condemn as absurd, facts which do not come within their own contracted sphere of observation, or which lie beyond their own very limited range of investigation and enquiry. But interest and ignorance must both be treated with the nothingness which justly belongs to them, if we would ever arrive at any thing like an adequate view of the true state of the case. We have no

hesitation in saying, that our Author, be he who he may, has acted upon this maxim, throughout the whole course of his very interesting and valuable publication. He has calmly stated facts, which none can gainsay, and argued upon those facts, in a manner, that must commend itself to the judgment and common sense of every really candid and disinterested inquirer.

The 'Preliminary Observations' commence with a declaration of that estimable nobleman, LORD ASHLEY, in the debate in the House of Commons of Feb. 28, 1843.

'The danger is wider, deeper, fiercer; and no one who has heard these statements, and believes them, can hope that twenty years more will pass without some mighty convulsion, some displacement of the whole system of society.

"These words,'-proceeds our Author, had indeed a peculiar application to the existing want of education, among the labouring classes; but no one would be less disposed than their noble author, to limit his view to a single point, when contemplating the whole condition of the country. None would be less likely than Lord Ashley, to commit the error of imagining that any one remedy could terminate a state of things so fearful; or that by a single Act of Parliament, the labouring population could be raised from their present misery to a state of comfort and happiness.

'But this fearful state of things was not only distinctly declared by his