from their families, or (what is much the same) in consequence of idleness and drunkenness, throw them upon a parish. The Christian Scriptures, although they concern themselves little with prudence or œconomy, and much less authorise worldly-mindedness or avarice, have yet declared in explicit terms their judgment of the obligation of his duty: "If any provide not for his own, especially for those of his own household, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel,” (1 Tim. v. 8.) he hath disgraced the Christian profession, and fallen short in a duty which even infidels acknowledge. The Same.

To send an uneducated child into the world, is injurious to the rest of mankind; it is little better than to turn out a mad dog or a wild beast into the streets. The Same.

I would advise those who are in the beginning of a Christian course, to shun the company of profane wits as they would the plague or poverty; and never to contract an intimacy with any one but such as have a good sense of religion. From Southey's Life of Wesley.

Archbishop Potter, that great and good man, as John Wesley deservedly calls him, gave Wesley a piece of advice, for which he acknowledged, many years afterwards, that he had ever since had occasion to bless God. If you desire to be extensively useful, do not spend your time and strength in contending for, or against, such things as are of a disputable nature; but in testifying against open, notorious vice, and in promoting real essential holiness." From the Same.

A Conversation between two Poor Men.

A. AND pray, Neighbour, what book is that you are reading there?

B. Why, it is called the Age of Reason, by Tom Paine.

A. Well, and what do you think you make out by it?

B. Why, I make out, that, we are not to go any longer by the light of Scripture, as we have been taught to do, but that we are to go by the light of Reason instead.

A. Why now that seems to me all the same as if we should desire to shut out the light of the Sun, and to do our work by the light of a Candle.

B. But we are reasonable beings, you know; Reason is a good thing.

4. Yes, and so is candle-light a good thing, but day-light is a better; and, if we have our senses about us, we should chuse that which is best, you know.

B. Well, but, I say, men were intended to be reasonable creatures; and so, if the Scriptures are contrary to reason, I should not expect that they came from God, and I should not regard them.

4. Nor I either. But Reason is the gift of God, and so is Scripture; we may therefore be sure that Scripture cannot be contrary to Reason, though in some points, it may be above our Reason, so that we cannot always understand every part.

B. Well, but Paine says the Scriptures do not come from God.

4. How did Paine know that?

B. I can't tell.

A. Nor any body else. But he talks just exactly as those people do that know nothing about the matter. Now, if I were to go by the opinion of men upon this point, I should listen to those who had looked closely and deeply into the subject. I mean serious, searching, learned men: and, as far as I can make out, such persons tell us that there can be no doubt at all, but that the Scriptures come from God. And then, when we know that this is so, we

may be certain that what we find written there for our guidance must be right; and the Scriptures then must be our rule to go by.

B. But then, you see, the Scriptures are so strict, that they will not let us follow our own ways, and so we lose a great deal of pleasure: I think we should be a great deal more merry if we could lay the Scriptures aside, and walk according to the Age of Reason, for then we might do exactly as we pleased, and so we should have nothing but mirth, and pleasure, and jollity.

A. You would have nothing, I can tell you, but quarrels, and bloodshed, and misery, and ruin.— Why, you know, they tried it in France, and you remember what cruel murders and horrible butcheries were practised.

B. Aye, there was a great deal of that, to be sure. But then I cannot think that all the French people delighted in these slaughters. I suppose many of them took their ease, and enjoyed their pleasures, and lived just according to their own fancies; and, as they cared nothing about religion, and had no fear of God, they took their full swing of pleasure, right or wrong, to their heart's content.

A. Yes, and nine out of ten of their young people died of the consequences of their self-will, and sinful indulgencies. Instead of living to a good old age, their wicked practices brought them to their graves in the very flower of their youth-so much for living by Mr. Paine's Age of Reason.

B. Why, then, it seems, that it would have been their safest plan to have gone by the rules of Scripture, after all.

A. To be sure it would: for, if we lay aside Scripture, we immediately give ourselves up to sinful practices; and these lead to certain misery even in this world. And, moreover, without the Scripture, what hopes can we have of happiness in the world to come?

B. Why, to be sure, we can have none. And, between ourselves, I have heard that Paine himself had a horrible death-bed. I tremble to think of that. Death will come:-and I must say that Paine's book gives no comfort for a dying hour.

A. No, indeed it does not. Why, if I had none of the promises of Scripture, I could not bear to think of the hour of death. "I know that my Redeemer liveth," that is my support. I know that he will help my infirmities,"—that is my strength. Lay aside your Age of Reason, I beseech you, and take up your Bible:-follow its rules, trust to its promises, live upon its hopes,-so may you die the death of the righteous, and your last end be like his.

D.

EXTRACTS FROM THE PUBLIC NEWSPAPERS.

DECEMBER 11.-Yesterday her Royal Highness the Duchess of Clarence was safely delivered of a daughter. It is understood that this infant was born about six weeks before its proper time; but it appears likely to live and to do well. It is to be called Elizabeth, as we understand, by the wish of his Majesty. As his Royal Highness the Duke of Clarence is the eldest of his Majesty's brothers who has children, this infant princess is likely at present to inherit the throne of Great Britain. The royal family stands in the following order in point of seniority.

His Majesty George the Fourth.-Duke of York.-Duke of Clarence.-Queen (Dowager) of Wirtemberg (Princess Royal).—*—Princess Augusta Sophia.-Princess of Hesse Homberg (Princess Elizabeth).-Duke of Cumberland.→ Duke of Sussex.. Duke of Cambridge. - Duchess of Gloucester (Princess Mary).—Princess Sophia.

DEC. 12. EXECUTION.-Yesterday morning the following persons suffered the dreadful sentence of the law, opposite

The late Duke of Kent was the fifth in this series. Soon after the lamented death of his Royal Highness, the Duchess was delivered of a daughter, the Princess Alexandrina, who as still living, but whose prospect of the crown is greatly altered by the birth of the daughter of the Duke of Clarence.

the Debtor's door of Newgate: Thomas Eaton, Thomas Hunt, and John Hughes, who were tried upon three several indictments for highway robberies committed on the Harrow road, which they had long infested, and where they had committed many outrages; Martin Feeley, a soldier of the 51st regiment, who was convicted of a burglary in the cottage of a poor man at Hampton; he broke into the dwelling in the dead hour of the night, and after tying a rope round the neck of the prosecutor, so as nearly to strangle him, succeeded in possessing himself of the little money he had; Charles Goodwin, who was found guilty of a burglary in Somer's Town, under circumstances of atrocity; Richard Scott, who was condemned for attempting to break open a house in Soho, and cutting and maiming a watchman; and D. Gentle and W. Reid, who on the clearest evidence were proved to have robbed Mr. Mortlock, chinaman, of Oxford-street (with whom they had been confidential servants), to a large amount. The wretched criminals received the intimation of their fate with comparative firmness, and all acknowledged the justice of their sentence. Yesterday they attended divine service, when a condemned sermon was preached by the Rev. Mr. Cotton; after which they received the sacrament. In the afternoon they were visited by their friends, of whom they took leave under circumstances too painful to describe. Reid has left a wife and four children. Scott and Hunt had also wives. Last night they occupied the same room; they slept about an hour, but the remainder of their time they spent in devotion and psalm singing. This morning, about twenty minutes before eight, the Sheriffs arrived at the gaol, and the irons of the prisoners were immediately struck off. Feeley was the first who underwent this ceremony. He was a fine looking man, and appeared to be very firm. At his own request, he was provided with a plain jacket in which to die. He said he did not wish to suffer in his uniform, as he felt he had disgraced the character of a soldier. He expressed a sincere hope that all his comrades would take warning by his fate, which had been well deserved, and prayed that they might be led from their evil courses, remembering alike their duty to God and to their officers. He desired that his tobacco-box might be given as a token of remembrance to a friend. He was a Roman Catholic, and was attended by a clergyman of that persuasion. The other seven prisoners, as they came to the block to be relieved of their irons, prayed for the mercy of their offended God with great fervour, and shook hands with the Sheriffs as they were introduced to the press-room. The whole of them having been bound in the usual way, they joined in an appropriate psalm. At eight o'clock they proceeded to the scaf fold, where they again joined in prayer, and sung together