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that the Lord may blefs to their hearts, for they are defperate fond of being with fine gentlefolk.

(Mr. Worthy's fervant enters the parlour.)

Servant. Sir, Thomas Newman has brought Mr. Littleworth's horfe. Far. Tell him I fhall be with him prefently. I thought, as I walked here, it would be too much to walk home against the hill; fo I thought as foon as the horfes had done plough, Thomas fhould bring one of them. My knees and ancles are deadly weak! what have I fuffered by the gout! but there, the Lord forgive me, it is in a measure through my own wickedness, for I have made a God of my belly.

Loveg. Tell Thomas to put the horse in my ftable, and come in and refresh himself.

Far. O no, fir, I thank you, I'll be getting home. My wife is mighty fond of Thomas, though fhe does not like his religion; and he has always victuals enough when he comes to our houfe; and it was Thomas's good life that made me think fo well of your good fermons. Far. to Mr. Worthy. I with your Honour a good day. The fame to you, madam.

Worthy. Farewell, Mr. Littleworth.

(Mr. Lovegood goes with the farmer to fee him mounted.}

Loveg. Well, Thomas, how do you do? How is Betty and all the children?

Thomas. They are all very well, fir, thank the Lord, except little Jofeph, and he has been fore bad with the hooping-cough; but Madam Worthy fent him fome doctor's stuff that has done him an abundance of good.

Loveg. Let me fee, Thomas; Jofeph is one of the twins.

Thomas. Ah, fweet child; and I felt him as dear to me as an Ifaac ; and I should have needed an Abraham's faith to have parted with him.

Loveg. But have you heard that mafter Harry is coming back again from fea?

Thomas. Why, fir, I heard that just before I came down, and that my mafter has been moft defperately affected at the news. Lord grant that he may be brought home fo as that be may be brought to God. Who can tell, mafter?

Far. Oh, Thomas, that is done already. "Praise the Lord, O my foul; and all that is within me blefs his holy name !"

Thomas. What, has mafter Harry felt the converting grace of God? Far. Oh, Thomas (Farmer weeps and wipes his eyes.) but I'll tell you as I ride along, and you fhall walk by me.

Loveg. Well, Mr. Littleworth, the Lord blefs and fupport you!

Far. And you too, fir, a thousand times, for the good you have done to my immortal foul. (They go home.) Oh, Thomas, you will be all amazement to hear how broken, and humble, and contrite, my fon writes about his wicked courses.

Thomas, Mafter, that is a blessed fign; for when once we are made to hate fin, we may be fure there is a divine change. The Lord be praised if mafter Harry has been faved from his wicked state; for how wild and wicked for fure he was! but, master, if you and I do but think what we once were, and what, through the grace of God, we now are, we need defpair of none. Can't you remember what Mr. Lovegood faid, about three Sundays ago: "Who but a God can tell how far God's uttermoft

can go."

Far. Why, he has no notion how the Lord has converted the heart of fuch a poor old finner as I have been. How he will be furprised when he romes home! it quite overcomes me to think of it.

Thomas. Had we not better contrive to tell him this beforehand?

Far.

Far. That we have contrived already; and you are to go and meet him at Mapleton; and Mr. Lovegood is to come and fup with us. O what a bleffed meeting it will be!

Thomas. And how much more blessed still will be the meeting in Heaven! But, mafter, if I may be fo bold, how came it all about?

Far. Here, Thomas (lending him the letter) you fhall take this letter home with you, and you and Betty fhall read it together; but be sure and take care of it, for I value it more than untold gold. O how I fhall count the days till my fon comes home! And after fupper, Mr. Lovegood will give us family prayer; and after that I am determined, in my poor fashion, to keep it up, for then we fhall be quite ftrong, when dear Harry comes home; and who knows but it may be a bleffing to my wife and two daughters !

Thomas. Why every body fays what a Chriftian-like family our Squire's is; and I do think it is all on account of the wonderful good order that is kept up in family prayer.

Far. Aye, aye, Thomas; and, by the bleffing of God, we'll have family prayer too; and Mr. Lovegood fays he will make a hymn on purpofe upon the prodigal's return, and brave hymn I'll warrant it will be. Thomas, you must be there to pitch the tune; and Mr. Lovegood fays you fhall be clerk at church next, if any thing happens to old Andrew Snuffle.

Thomas. Ah dear, how fhall I feel if ever our minifter fhould make fuch a poor fimple creature clerk of our parish! to be fure it would be a wonderful help to me and my poor dear Betty, to bring up our children; but I am fadly afraid Mr. Lovegood will not be long minifter of our parish.

Far. The Lord forbid! but why should you think fo, Thomas ?

Thomas. Why I am told our 'fquire is to go next winter to London to put one of his fons to fome place of larning. I hope he won't stop long, for all the poor people in our village are in a fad taking when he is away; but I am afraid if he was to tell Lord Cancellor what a wonderful man our minister is, the king (God bless him) will foon make him lord archi bishop of Canterbury.

(Thus the Farmer and Thomas went on chatting till his arrival at home The fequel of fome future events will foon be prefented to the reader.)

SIR,

SEEIN

ANECDOTE.

TO THE EDITOR.

EEING an anecdote of my friend, J. S. (or James Soper) of Alfriston, in your Magazine for January laft, puts me in mind of another, the authenticity of which you may depend on. Mr. S. died in 1796, and is now, I have reafon to hope, in glory. While refiding at Alfriston, the Lord having lately called him to the knowledge of the truth as it is in Jefus, he separated himself, from the company of his former gay intimates. Some of thefe giddy youths meeting him (I think as he was go ing to chapel/thus addreffed him: "Well, Soper, you feem to be very zealous for religion; we shall foon hear that you are a preacher. Come, can't you preach us a fermon?" Soper very gravely replied, "No; I will name a text, and leave you to preach the fermon." Then, with great emphafis, he recited the following passage of Scripture, (Acts xiii. 40, 41) Beware, therefore, left that come upon you which is spoken of in the prophets. Behold, ye defpifers, and wonder, and perish; for I work a work in your days; a work which ye fhall in nowife believe, though a man declare it unto you.”—And the words fell with that weight on their minds, that not one of them could make a reply, nor did ever ridicule him any more." A word fitly spoken (as Solomon faith) is like apples of gold in pictures of filver." Lewes. J. J.

66

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Tis obferved by Solomon," that a falfe balance is an is

delight." As: this is undoubtedly true when taken int a literal fenfe, fo, I think, it cannot be lefs fo when confidered in a spiritual. The world not only abounds with dishonest tradeimen, but with difhoneft profeflors, who, with the balance of deceit and error, deceive many. It is, therefore, of fome importance to enquire what is the true balance to difcriminate between the juft and the unjuft, and to find out the right ftandard. Some make their own dogmatical opinions the true balance, by which they weigh their neighbours. Others try all by their own experience. Some captious profeffors, who have as little found-intellect as they have pure love, weigh all in the false scale of bigotry and conceit; and generally confider all as nought who do not exactly fee as they do. The phlegmatic weighs the man of lively feelings in the balance of affected deliberation; and the man of ardent paffions weighs the phlegmatic in the fcale of feelings; and thus they condemn each other and it is to be feared that we have all been too guilty of difhonefty, in having erected our own fecret ftandard. But as this is againft the royal law, and as there is one general measure by which we fhould be regulated, we fhall do well to confider and abide by it. This balance is the word of God; it was made in the court of Heaven, and is fent down to this our world, for the very purpose of eftablishing right and propriety among men; it is com pofed of the pureft and richest materials, and held in the teady and powerful hand of the Almighty: it exactly anfwers the end for which it was defigned. 1

Now this must be used upon all occafions, under all cir cumftances, and in all places. Our principles must be tried by this. Every fentiment must be brought here; and however fpecious it may be, however rational it may feem, however apparently conducive to our happiness, if it accord not with the juft weight, it must be rejected. It is not what a proud prieft may affert, an ignorant enthufiaft believe, or a wretched bigot hold forth to us as the truth; but what the word of God declares, that we must abide by. By this alfo we are to afcertain, whether our experience be genuine. The paffions must be weighed here; and it is neceffary to be very cautious, finee a heated imagination, VOL. IX.

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violent

violent emotions, and a warm temperament of conftitution are often put for real devotion and liveliness of affection. But if put into this fcale, we fhall foon fee whether our feelings be of the right kind: if they do not tend to hu mility, do not excite to obedience, do not prompt to gratitude, the balance will not be in equilibrio; but the weight of truth will abundantly preponderate, and at once fhew the lightness of our fuppofed property. The conduct must here be weighed. Many ancient and modern fcales have been used for this purpose. The balance of charity has been adopted by fome, who have faid, as long as we love all men, the little irregularities of our lives will be forgiven. Others have made the balance of fuffering the ftandard, and fuppofed that their forrows will fufficiently expiate their fins. Many have erected the balance of outward morality; and thought it might be fufficient to lop off a few excrefcences from a vitiated conduct, and practife a few publie virtues, and then all would be well. But thefe are all counterfeit, and not one of them must be trufted. The only balance for the conduct, is the word of truth. This requires, not a partial amiableness before men; not a few external accomplishments; not a fhew of charity alone; but felf-denial, peace, meeknefs, temperance, fobriety, humility, patience, and purity. And though the beft of men too often fail here, yet, without thefe, we have no characteristic marks of being true Chriftians. These are the folid weights which bring the fcales, at least, fomething toward the true counterpoife; and he only is the happy man, who derives all his ideas of firitual quantity. from this meafure.

But, to improve thefe few thoughts, let us,

1ft, Beware of the "balances of deceit." A charge was brought against Ephraim, that these balances were in his hand. The God of this world, who has always been a deceiver from the beginning, has taken care to counterfeit a balance, which he impofes on the ignorant; and, what is more, like every other impoftor, he affures them it is the only true one. Let us examine well what we ufe; and if it agree not with the ftandard already mentioned, let us utterly reject it.

2dly, Let us remember, that God cannot be deceived. He weighs the moft minute things in his balance ;-he will admit of no counterfeit; he fees the leaft defect;

his

* Hofea xii, 7.

hand

hand is not only firm, but his eye is omnifcient, In the balance of his ftri& juftice, it is true, we all-fail; and if he mark what is amifs, who can ftand? But in this balance, the merit of Jefus Chrift, on our behalf alone, preponderates. He requires, however, fincerity of love, unreferved devotion, and uniform obedience; while the bafe principles of hypocrify he detects and abhors.

3dly, A good man defires to be regulated by the true ftandard, and to be what God would have him. Let me, fays Job, be weighed in an even balance. He admires the rectitude of the divine nature, the beauties of holiness, and acquiefces in the requifition of obedience and fubmiffion. "Search me and try me," is his language, "and know my thoughts, and fee if there be any wicked way in me; "and lead me in the way of righteouinefs." As it is an evidence that there is fome base alloy when we are fearful of the right ftandard,-fo it argues fincerity and truth when we are defirous to be tried in God's own way.

Laftly, How deplorable the cafe of thofe who are ftrangers to truth! they, if laid in the balance," are altogether lighter than vanity;" they must be caft away as nothing worth dying impenitent, they will in the laft day be put in the fcale of juft judgment; and being found wanting in principle, in love, in faith, in obedience, must be for ever wanting alfo in happiness and peace.

C. B.

THAT

ON SLANDER.

HAT this infinuating vice has made its way into Chriftian focieties, is become too plain to be denied; though our fpiritual indolence may keep us from that rigid felf-examination, which, if faithfully practifed, would detect it in ourselves. There are two ways by which this evil hath crept in among us unperceived, and almoft une refifted. The first grand inlet feems to be pride; a defire of establishing our character for difcernment; of appearing to be perfons whofe opinion of fentiments and conduct is of importance to our friends. Well might our Saviour fay to his difciples, " Ye know not what manner of spirit "ye are of." "Can the followers of the meek and lowly Jefus,can they who acknowledge themfelves, in their daily addreffes to a throne of grace, guilty, hell-deferving creatures,

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