collier go down, and heard the cries of the drowning men, and could do nothing for them. I think I hear their voices still. Sailors are often the worst men that live, but they of all men need to be holy men, for they are always in the midst of death and danger."-"But (said I) had you always these feelings of confidence in God, ever since you went to sea?"-"Oh! No." "When did you first find reason thus to trust in the Lord ?" "It was when we were in a great storm, soon after I first went to sea. I was filled with the fears of death, for I knew I was a sinner, but I called on the Lord for mercy, and I found mercy of the Lord, and I have found it ever since."—"Did you, when you found this mercy of the Lord, learn to see and feel the evil of sin ?”— "Yes, Ma'am, the cursing and swearing, and blasphemy, and drunkenness I saw, grieved me much, and I left one or two ships, because I could not bear it any longer; and tried to get where there was less profaneness."-"I know that in your profession there are too many who run greedily in the way of iniquity, and sin before God with a high hand but did you never meet with any comrade who feared the Lord, and could be a comfortable friend to you?”—“No, not any yet."-" Then you should have lent your tracts, and spoke to them, and tried to make them what you wished.”—“Oh, Ma'am, they think there can be no sense in a boy, and it is always just a word and a blow."-" But you shall take a good many tracts with you this time, and you must both read them, and lend them, and the Lord in his own good time will raise up a friend for you."

I did not wish to appear insensible to the difficulties of this young Christian's situation, but to lead him to take comfort in the precious promises, and in the faithfulness of God in particularly fufilling them to this child of His providence. I told him to take comfort for the future, in considering how God "had found him in the waste howling wilderness, had led him about, had instructed him, had kept him as the apple of an eye.' He seemed to feel all the

truth and sweetness of that promise, "When father and mother forsake me, the Lord will take me up," and to acknowledge he had thus been taken up. He had called on the Lord in his trouble, and he had delivered him out of his distress. I asked him, "if when he had opportunity he made use of Christian ordinances ?"-"Oh, yes, they are a great comfort to me. Perhaps, Ma'am, you have not heard of the floating Chapel on the Thames. I always go there when I can, and I hear such good ministers, it is such a comfort."—He then gave me a particular account of this hapel, and its services, seeming to feel pleasure in describ

ing what I had never seen. I told him frequent mention was made in Scripture, of "those who go down to the sea in ships, and see God's wonders in the great waters;" and asked him, if it was not comfortable to him to read in the New Testament, how the Lord Jesus made choice of, for his friends and companions, not the rich and learned, but those who, like him, were often "toiling in rowing, the wind being contrary to them!" "Oh, ycs, (he replied) and he was with them in all their difficulties, though he sometimes seemed to be asleep; but he soon awoke at their cries and prayers, and spoke the raging seas into a calm; and he has done that for us too. But how ungrateful it was of the people to say 'What manner of man is this,' and to call him a man who stilled the seas."—"Yes, (said I) it is sweet to read of the Lord Jesus, how unwearied he was in doing good to the souls and bodies of men. They who did not know His godhead, wondered that the winds and the seas should obey him; but we know that He can do greater things than these. He can speak "peace to the troubled conscience. He can, by the power of his grace, overcome the rebellion and enmity of the human heart, and convert the drunkard, the Sabbath breaker, the profane swearer, into the holy, humble, soberminded Christian. He can restrain the stormy passions of men, which is, you know, a greater work, than to still the raging elements." Oh, yes, (he said) that is the grand work: there was John Wildon, (taking up one of the tracts that lay before him) what a change was wrought in him! What a hardened man he was! What an unkind husband, and father too, when he would not let his children go to the Sunday school." He then repeated the greater part of this tract, which seemed to have made the greatest impression on him. Among the tracts he had were, William Black the Chimney Sweeper, an Address to a child, Serious thoughts on Eternity, William Kelly, &c. &c. They were perfectly clean and whole. Our conversation was here interrupted; and as I left him, I could not but feel in my heart, "This is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in my eyes." He called once or twice after, to return the "Retrospect,” and "life of the Rev. John Newton ;" but I was never so fortunate as to see him again.

May we not judge him to have been "faithful in a few things;" and firmly hope, that the Lord will still preserve him by His grace, till he is made in the kingdom of glory a ruler over many things?"

66

Berwick upon Tweed, Nov. 10th, 1821.

ΑΝΝΑ.

SPARE TO SPEND.

:

Two persons who were employed in collecting money for a public charity, went to the house of a gentleman, to ask for his donation. While waiting there, they overheard him scolding his servant for wasting a small piece of candle. Judging from this that he was extremely covetous, one of them suggested that it was useless to wait, and proposed to go to another house. The other person, however, thought it best to stay. At length the gentleman read their paper, and immediately presented them with five guineas. The collectors could not conceal their surprize, which being observed by the gentleman, he desired to know why they expressed so much wonder at the gift. They told him the reason. "Gentlemen (he replied) it is true, I am very exact and careful in my affairs: I cannot endure the least waste of any thing, however small its value: and I do this, that I may save out of a moderate income, something to give to God and religion."-Masters and Mistresses of families, suffer no extravagance! Spare unnecessary expense! Spare, that you may have to spend for God!And, Servants, avoid profusion and waste! Think not your masters covetous, because careful. It becomes both them and you to be careful, that there may be somewhat" to give to him that needeth."

LINES ON THE LARK.

How sweet is the Song of the Lark, as she springs,
To welcome the morning, with joy on her wings!
The higher she rises, the sweeter she sings,

And she sings when we see her no more.

When storms and dark clouds hide the sun from our sight,
She has mounted above them, she shines in his light;
There, far from the scenes, which disturb and affright,
She loves her gay music to pour.

It is thus with the Christian-his willing soul flies
To welcome the day-spring, which streams from the skies;
He is drawn by its glorious effulgence to rise,

Towards the region from whence it is given.
He sings on his way from this cloud cover'd spot,
The quicker his progress, the sweeter his note,
When we hear it no longer-the song ceases not,
It blends with the chorus of Heaven.

Printed and sold by A. FOSTER, Kirkby Lonsdale.
Price 7s. per hundred.

FRIENDLY VISITOR.

No. XLI.]

FEBRUARY, 1822.

[VoL. IV.

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PRINTED AND SOLD BY A. FOSTER, KIRKBY LONSDALE; And sold by L. B. Seeley, 169 Fleet Street, London ;

By R. M. Timms, 85 Grafton Street, Dublin;

And by the Edinburgh Religious Tract Society, at their Depository in East Register Street, Edinburgh.

Of whom may be had, in neat, stiff, printed covers, Vols. 1, 2, and 3; price one shilling and fourpence each: also the two first volumes bound together in sheep; price three shillings and fourpence.

SELF EXAMINATION

Derived from the Ten Commandments.

Come, dear Readers, call yourselves to account. Try yourselves, your hearts and ways, according to these commandments. God speaks them, for he is the lawgiver; and he enforces them by such a preface as this; I am the Lord thy God, that brought thee out of the Land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. So he brought up his ancient people the Jews. Egypt was a house of bondage to them-there they were, holden in cruel misery and slavery. So the world is the Devil's house of bondage. We are by nature heirs of wrath, hell, and destruction. The Devil is ready to lord it over us. Sin makes us his slaves; and, when it is done, pays us our wages in death and hell. But God has visited us in mercy, has sent his Son to redeem us from the house of bondage, and to Tecover us for heaven and heavenly rest. How worthy is the Lord, this Jehovah, to be my God! O how just it is, that I should choose him for my

B

Father, my Lawgiver, my happiness! How am I bound to love him, and to keep his commandments!

1. Thou shalt have none other Gods but me. No, surely; there can be but one God, and he is allsufficient and almighty, able to make me eternally happy. Whom then should I love and serve but him? But alas! I have had gods many and lords. many; for "whatsoever we love, fear, or obey more than God, we make that our God." O the idolatry of my heart! How many idols have I set up there in the room of God! The world has been an idol, and has reigned there my earthliness, my covetousness is idolatry: the lusts of the flesh have been my idols; they have been served and pleased, while God has been neglected. Sin has reigned over this soul and body, which should have been presented as a living sacrifice to God. I have moreover feared many things more than God. I have feared the world's frown-the loss of character-the inconvenience of sin, more than I have feared the eye of him, "to whom all hearts be open, and from whom no secrets are hid." When I think upon the past, I see that I have served what I have loved and what I have feared. The world and sin have had my heart, and the world and sin have had my service. Oh! wretched man that I am! My guilt is aggravated by the advantages I have had of knowing and loving the true God. There is not a day of my life, that this commandment has not been broken by me. Lord, have mercy upon nie, a miserable sinner!

2. Thou shalt not make to thyself &c. As the First Commandment respects the object of my worship and regard, so the Second respects the manner and the nature of it. And here how guilty I have been! It is true, I may have been better taught, than to worship the true God by the