passing the residence of the Rev. seriously ill, and requested one of Dr. Staughton, when the latter was the Orissa missionaries to visit sitting at the door. Paine stopped, him. In the course of converand, after some remarks of a general sation the missionary offered to lend character, observed, "Mr. Staugh- him any book in his library that ton, what a pity it is that man has would be likely to interest and not some comprehensive and per-profit him. "I have a large numfect rule for the government of his ber of books with which to instruct life!" The doctor replied, "Mr. and exercise the intellect, but," Paine, there is such a rule." "What added he, with emphasis, “when is that?" Paine inquired. Dr. S. I want food for my soul I go to repeated the passage, "Thou shalt the Bible: there only," pointing to love the Lord thy God with all thy a copy of the English Bible which heart, and thy neighbour as thy- lay on the table, "I get something self." Abashed and confused, Paine to warm my heart.' When pressreplied, "Oh, that's in your Bible," ing on him the importance and and immediately walked away. necessity of making a public profession of his attachment to Christ, he said with tears, "God, who searcheth the heart, knoweth that I am a heathen but in name; that my trust, my heart, are fixed on Him to whom I offer my daily prayer, and in whose mercy alone I trust. And it is my hope and intention, by the help of God, one day to make a public avowal of this my faith." 133. Greatness in Simplicity.The Rev. J. Wesley once preached at Lincoln from Luke x. 42: "One thing is needful." When the congregation were retiring from the church, a lady exclaimed, in a tone of great surprise, "Is this the great Mr. Wesley, of whom we hear so much in the present day? Why, the poorest might have understood him." The gentleman to whom this remark was made, replied, "In 136. Sir Philip Sidney's Counsel this, madam, he displays his great--Sir Philip Sidney left to his ness; that, while the poorest can acquaintance this last request:understand him, the most learned" are edified, and cannot be offended." friends; but, above all, govern Love my memory; cherish my your will and affections by the will behold the end of this world, and and word of your Creator. In me, all its vanities." 134. Nearer Home.-Mr. Venn, in one of his excursions to preach for the Countess of Huntingdon, while riding on the road, fell into company with a person who had the appearance of a clergyman. After riding together for some time, conversing on different subjects, the stranger, looking in his face, said, "Sir, I think you are on the wrong side of fifty?" "On the wrong side of fifty!" answered Mr. Venn. "No, sir, I am on the right side of fifty.' Surely," the clergy; man replied, "you must be turned fifty?" "Yes, sir," added Mr. Venn, "but I am on the right side of fifty, for every year I live I am nearer my crown of glory." 66 135. Seoret Disciple.-A native gentleman, a writer in the "Missionary News" relates, was taken he quietly added, "John, show that reach of every article of wearing man the door, and keep your eye apparel, or other property in the upon him until he is beyond the hall." CONSCIENCE. Acts xxiii. 1, xxiv. 16; 1 Tim. iii. 9; 1 Peter iii. 21. "You see 138. Awakened Conscience. brought before him, who was acA jeweller, a man of high character cused of murdering his master. and great wealth, having occasion The evidence came out full, the in way of business to travel some jury brought in their verdict that and distance from his abode, took along the prisoner was guilty, with him a servant: he had with the whole assembly awaited the him some of his most valuable sentence of the president of the jewels, and a large sum of money court, which happened to be himto which his servant was likewise self, in great suspense. Meanwhile privy. The master having occasion he appeared to be in unusual disto dismount on the road, the order and agitation of mind; his servant watched his opportunity, colour changed often; and at length took a pistol from his master's he arose from his seat, and, coming saddle, and shot him dead on the down from the bench, placed himspot; then, rifling him of his jewels self just by the unfortunate man at and money, and hanging a large the bar, to the no small astonishstone to his neck, he threw him ment of all present. into the nearest canal. With his before you," said he, addressing booty he made off to a distant part himself to those who had sat on the of the country, where he had bench with him, "a striking inreason to believe that neither he stance of the just awards of Heaven; nor his master was known. There for this day, after thirty years' conhe began to trade, in a very low cealment, presents to you a greater way at first, that his obscurity criminal than the man just now might screen him from observation; found guilty." He then made an and in the course of many years ample confession of his heinous seemed to rise up, by the natural offence, with all its peculiar aggraprogress of business, into wealth vations. "Nor can I," continued and consideration; so that his good he, feel any relief from the fortune appeared at once the effect agonies of an awakened conscience, of industry and the reward of but by requiring that justice be virtue. Of these he counterfeited forthwith done against me in the the appearance so well, that he most public and solemn manner." grew into great credit, married into It is easy to imagine the amazea good family, and, by laying out ment of all, especially his fellowhis hidden stores discreetly, as he judges. Inquiry was made, and saw occasion, and joining to all a they afterwards proceeded upon general affability, he was at length confession to pass sentence upon admitted to a share of the governhim. ment of the town, and rose from one post to another, till at last he was chosen chief magistrate. In this office he maintained a fair character, and continued to fill it with no small applause, both as governor and judge; till one day, as he sat on the bench with some f his brethren, a criminal was 66 his 139. Conscience a Guide.-Lord Erskine, when at the bar, was remarkable for the fearlessness with which he contended against the Bench. In a contest he had with Lord Kenyon, he explained the rule and conduct at the bar in the following terms: "It was," said he, "the first command and counsel of on my youth, always to do what my a view of visiting friends higher up conscience told me to be my duty, the country, and to be under the and leave the consequences to God. protection of our guns during the I have hitherto followed it, and journey; others from having heard have no reason to complain that that we shot rhinoceroses, elephants, any obedience to it has been even &c., for the sake of their skins, a temporal sacrifice; I have found teeth, &c., but that we did not eat it, on the contrary, the road to pros- their carcasses-the last indulged perity and wealth, and I shall the hope that they might eat the point it out as such to my chil- animals when they happened to dren." be shot. When any of those nations, on their plundering expeditions, happen to kill, or rather deed is recorded by a deep slash murder a man, the honourable of their body. By these marks being cut the fleshy part of the new comers who had joined we knew that the major part us were murderers. I observed some who had three, four, or five of those scars. Now these people were generally afraid to go to sleep in the night-time; but, in little parties around fires, they tried to keep up the most boisterous talk as long as they could, until break of day. One night, the wind being quite still, their noise was such that I found it impossible to sleep. quiet and go to sleep. I arose, and begged them to be 'Oh, said they, there is a king to the right of us, a bad man, who has his spies; and were we to sleep he would come and murder us all.' About ten nights after they were 140. Guilty Conscience. Mr. Campbell, of Kingsland, records in his diary that on one occasion, when he was at sea, a young gentleman rushed from his bed, while yet asleep, to the middle of the cabin, and, pointing to the floor, exclaimed, "There's the blood! there's the blood! yes, there's the blood!" -on which, he adds, "some of us rose, and, finding that he was asleep, we awoke him and got him back to his bed." In the morning, a sprightly young gentleman, who had got intimate with him, was requested to ascertain the cause of the terrifying dream. In the evening he told us that the gentleman was an officer in the army, on his way to join his regiment in Sicily; that some time ago he had shot a brother officer in a duel, and ever since he had been disturbed in his aro rest, appearing downcast and sad even when perfectly awake. He said it had been his custom every night to fasten his leg to the bed-continuing as bad as ever; I begged post, or to anything to which he them now to be still, especially as could tie it, to prevent his getting they had got beyond the country out of bed; "but I found," said of him of whom they were afraid. he, "nothing of the kind in 'Oh! but,' said they, we the ship bed." It is remarkable getting opposite to a worse king, to the left of usthat the same miserable state of -Makkabba, king of mind is not infrequent even among the Waketsens.' How different the uncivilised, where God is unwas the case with my Hottentots, known, and where men are said about twenty of whom travelled to be not aware of their possessing with me! Not any of them were mura soul, and are ignorant of a judg- derers; every night did they sleep ment to come. "I remember," Mr. as sound as wolves, though they Campbell adds, "when travelling never were so far from their own from Lattakoo to Kurreechane, country before. I was told that high up in the interior of South those very men who were so conAfrica, my party was joined by stantly afraid of being murdered about forty or fifty persons from while travelling are not troubled different tribes, some of them with with those fears while they remain at home. It seems to have been thus with Cain; for we hear nothing of his fears till he was on the very eve of leaving home to travel some distance." 141. Indian Honesty. An American Indian, visiting his white neighbours, asked for a little tobacco, and one of them, having some loose in his pocket, gave him a handful. The day following, the Indian came back, saying he had found a quarter of a dollar among the tobacco. Being told that as it was given him he might as well keep it, he answered, pointing to his breast, "I got a good man and a bad man here; and the good man say, It is not mine, I must return it to the owner; the bad man say, Why, he gave it you, and it is your own now; the good man say, That not right, the tobacco is yours, not the money; the bad man say, Never mind, you got it, go buy some drink; the good man say, No, no, you must not do so; so I don't know what to do, and I think to go to sleep; but the good man and the bad keep talking all night, and trouble me; and now I bring the money back, I feel good." 142. William Rufus and the Monks.-Two monks having come one day to William Rufus, King of England, to buy an abbot's place, and having outreached each other in the sums they offered, the King said to a third monk who stood by, "What wilt thou give for the place?" "Not a penny," answered the monk, "for it is against my conscience." "Then," replied the King, "thou of the three best deservest it," and instantly gave it to him. CONSISTENCY. Prov. iv. 27; Psalm xxvii. 11; Ezek. xviii. 5-9; Col. iii. 22. 143. Archbishop Usher's De- they always said, "May you have cision. Dr. Parr, in his life of the virtue and goodness of Trajan!" Archbishop Usher, relates that yet the deadly conflicts of gladiators, while that prelate was once preach- who were trained to kill each other, ing in the church at Covent Garden, to make sport for the spectators, a message arrived from the Court furnished his chief pastime. At that the King wished immediately one time he kept up those spectacles to see him. He descended from for 123 days in succession. In the the pulpit, listened to the command, and told the messenger that he was then, as he saw, employed in God's business, but as soon as he had done, he would attend upon the King to understand his pleasure; and then continued his sermon. tortures which he inflicted on Christians, fire and poison, daggers and dungeons, wild beasts and serpents, and the rack, did their worst. He threw into the sea Clemens, the venerable Bishop of Rome, with an anchor about his neck; and tossed to the famishing lions in the amphitheatre the aged Ignatius. 145. Excuse of a Clergyman.Bishop Blomfield, when once called to ask a vicar to reprove one of his clergy for immorality of conduct, received as an excuse the reply, "My lord, I never do it when on duty." "On duty!" replied the Bishop; "when is a clergyman ever off duty?" 146. Frederick the Great and the Soldier. A sergeant of the answer. In a short time the aged the matter with the King to-day," name of Thomas, who was very officer died, and the colonel waited successful in training his men, and upon his Majesty to inform him of whose whole deportment pleased the vacancy, and to remind him of the great Frederick of Prussia, was his intention to raise Sergeant often noticed by him. He inquired Thomas to the situation. "No, respecting the place of the sergeant's no!" said the King, "he shall not birth, his parents, his religious have it; he does not go so often to creed, and the place of worship William-street as he used to do." which he frequented. On being Surprised at this peremptory refusal, informed that he was united with the colonel withdrew, and on his the Moravians, and attended their return found the sergeant waiting chapel in William-street, he ex- for the confirmation of his appointclaimed, "Oh, oh! you are a ment. "I do not know what is fanatic, are you? Well, well, only take care to do your duty, and improve your men.' The King's common salutation after this was, "Well, how do you do? how are you going on in William-street ?" His Majesty at length, in conversation with Thomas's colonel, mentioned his intention of promoting - Pliny the younger, Proconsul 147. Inconsistency of Character. the sergeant to an office in the under Trajan, is a striking illuscommissariat department, upon the tration of the truth, that goodness death of an aged man who then and amiableness towards one class filled it. The colonel, in order to of men is often turned into cruelty encourage Thomas, told him of the towards another. King's design. Unhappily this had hardly show a more gentle and History.can an injurious effect upon the mind lovely character than Pliny's. While of the sergeant; for, alas! such is pleading at the bar, he always the depravity of the human heart, sought out the grievances of the that few can endure the temptation poorest and most despised persons, of prosperity without sustaining entered into their wrongs with all spiritual loss. Thomas began to his soul, and never took a fee. Who forsake the assemblies of his can read his admirable letters withChristian brethren; and when re-out being touched by their tenderproved by his minister, he said ness and warmed by their benignity his heart was with him, but he and philanthropy? And yet this was afraid of offending the King." tender-hearted Pliny coolly plied The minister told him to take good with excruciating tortures two spotheed that his heart did not deceive less females who had served as him. Soon after the sergeant's re- deaconesses in the Christian church, ligious declension, he was again hoping to extort from them matter accosted by the King with "Well, of accusation against the Christians. how do you do? how are your friends He commanded Christians to abjure in William-street?" "I do not know, their faith, invoke the gods, pour please your Majesty," was out libations to the statues of the reply. Not know! not know!" answered the King; "have you been ill?" "No, please your Majesty," rejoined the sergeant; "but I do not see it necessary to attend there 148. Judson and the Convert.Dr. so often as I used to do." "Then Judson sent once for a poor Chrisyou are not so great a fanatic as tian convert who was about to I thought you," was the royal engage in something which he the Emperor, burn incense to idols, and |