help of images, pictures, or statues; but alas! I have too often worshipped him, as if he were an image, in a careless, formal and irreverent manner, How cold, and heartless, and distracted have been my prayers! How wandering my thoughts in public as well as private worship! If I had been called to attend the court of my earthly sovereign, I could not have dared to have shewn him half the irreverence and neglect, which I have daily shewn to the Majesty of heaven! And Oh! how strangely have I forgot the vow which I made to God in Baptism and ratified in Confirmation! How shamefully have 1 neglected the Lords Table, or carelessly attended it! Nay, when I consider how many acts of worship I have neglected altogether, and what sin aud imperfection have run thro' those which I have attempted to perform, I may well feel that there is no health in me, and well cry, Lord, have mercy upon me."

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3. Thou shalt not take the name &c. It will be well for me, if I have not broken this command by the sin of perjury, in calling upon God, by a solemn oath, either in a court of justice, or before. a magistrate, to witness what I knew to be altogether false. Because of such false swearing as this, the nation of England indeed mourneth. Oh!. that such offenders would consider, that God declares that he will not hold them guiltless!It will be well too, if I have never been a profane swearer, or a bold blasphemer. Such persons do indeed speak the language of hell before they get into it; and their sins go before them to judgment. But if my tongue has not been engaged in invoking hell and damnation, it has offended to the condemnation of my soul, if I have ever used the name of God lightly and upon trifling occasions; exclaiming when surprised, O God! O Lord!

Good God! Good gracious! God bless me ! or, Bless me! Nay, the very careless manner, in

which I have too often run over the sacred name of God, both in private and public prayer, brings me in guilty of a breach of this commandment. 4. Remember that thou keep holy &c. How. much is required in this Command! It calls upon me, not only to abstain from needless work, but to employ myself in a becoming manner. But how grievously have I offended! How little have I cared to suspend my worldly employments! The little that has been done, arose, it is to be feared, from the effects of custom, rather than from a concern to obey God. I have not been careful to perform work on a Saturday night, and to delay work till Monday morning, as I might have been. I know too well that it has not been my study to abstain from work. And as far as I have done this, to what a bad purpose has my leisure been' employed! What idleness, what lounging, what gossipping, what unprofitable visiting amongst friends, have marked my Sabbaths! In what a formal, unprofitable way have I attended public worship!-attending when I had nothing better to do, but gladly excusing myself if a friend was to be entertained, or visited; or if the rain fell, tho" the rain would not have kept me from the fair or the entertainment. Every Sabbath that I have seen, convicts me of having neglected to do much that I ought to have done, and of having done much that I ought not to have done. And, Oh! if my holy deeds this condemn me-if every part of my duty towards God thus brings me in guilty, how can I stand upon the ground of merit? My cry must be "God be merciful to me a sinner!"

(To be continued.)

FALSE PROFESSION.

In the Year 1819, when I first entered upon the work of the ministry at S-, my attention was drawn to the religious professions of a person, who had opened her house for the preaching of God's word.

She appeared to be much in earnest about the salvation of those around her; and though she belonged to a different communion, I felt that drawing towards her, which the love of a common Saviour naturally produces. Shortly after this, I was pained to hear, that Mrs. was not walking agreeably to her professions; but as the reports came from those who were not very friendly to religion, I was cautious in receiving them. Things continued in this state, till December 1820, when I was summoned, as the Clergyman of the parish, to visit her. She was reduced by sickness to a state of great bodily weakness, but was quite sensible. Upon entering on the subject of religion, I found her ready in assenting to the leading doctrines of the Gospel, but she expressed herself confident, that the mercy of which she spoke, was not for her. In vain I told her of the gracious offer, "whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely;"-it was to no purpose that I repeated the invitation-"come unto me all ye that labour &c." She was quite unable to reach down the comfort of the Gospel.

It was clear that something lay heavy upon her mind; and I wished that the disclosure should be made by herself, rather than be extorted by me. I asked what good she had got from the means of grace, which she had so long had in her own house? She replied-"none, Sir;-you see

a wretch before you, who has held Christ in one hand, and sin in the other!!"

I had now some hope that I might heal the wound; but I was anxious to have a full confession, before I spoke of the balm of Gilead.-I told her, that as the Physician must know the disorder, before he can pretend to cure, so it was needful that I should be made acquainted with the nature and extent of the sins to which she alluded. Suffice it to say, her dwelling had been a receiving-house for stolen property, and she had defrauded the revenue by the unlawful sale of liquor. By these means, she induced the work-people to pilfer their master's property, and to exchange yarn and wool for the beer which she gave them.

All this was going on, while the various Ministers attended her house, and testified of that grace, which "hath appeared unto all men, teaching them to deny ungodliness, and worldly lusts, and to live soberly, righteously, and godly!"

After pressing upon her the duty of making all the restitution she could to those, whom her practices had injured, I spoke of the sin against God; and shewed how Jesus was exalted, as a prince and a saviour, to give repentance. With the intention of calling in a few days, I left her house; but I never saw her again. Her senses failed her— she was seized with delirium, and the intervals of reason which she had, were more awful, than I can describe. She called over all her sins, and named the miserable partakers of her guilt. Her horrors of conscience were to that degree, that she would rise from her bed at midnight, and running into the street, chill the neighbours with her screanis, declaring that Satan was come to demand her. About a month ago she died; but though I saw her several times since my first visit, she adjudged herself guilty of the sin against the Holy Ghost,

and every way to her heart was closed against me. I trust it has had a good effect on some of my professing people. Her sad case has been in the mouths of all, and loudly does it say-"let every one that nameth the name of Christ, depart from iniquity."

The Editor gladly inserts the above affecting history; feeling assured that the sincere followers of Christ will be stirred up by it to a more watchful and closer walk with God; while it may, with Gods blessing, be the means of shewing some false professor to himself, and rousing him from his delusion, before his condition becomes as desperate as this poor woman's. Wherever the great husbandman sows the seed of the Kingdom, by the hands of his faithful ministers, the devil will be sure to follow, and to scatter his tares. We must not therefore be surprised, though we cannot fail to be hurt, when we discover the tares. They do not always lie hid to the harvest. But good springs out of the discovery, painful as it is. The Editor has been led to consider the falls of professors, as nearly the most important sifting-times for the rest of his flock, which a minister can witness. Perhaps nothing brings to light more clearly their real characters. On the one hand we see many triumphing, instead of weeping on such an occasion. They seem gladly to catch at the fall of a professor, as an excuse for their own inconsistent walk. Then they exclaim, "these are your religious people!" That is, they point to an unfruitful branch, (which the husbandman, according to his promise, has cut away from the stem,) as a specimen of the tree! Oh! shameful unfairness and injustice! But way-side and stony-ground hearers must have their halting-place, and now they have reached it. Satan whispers, that there is no great difference between those who make