POETRY.

(For the Village Churchman.)

BY THE REVEREND THE WORSHIPFUL CHANCELLOR RAIKES.

COLLECT FOR THE THIRD SUNDAY IN ADVENT.
Lord Jesu, who didst at thy coming, send
The Baptist herald to prepare thy way;
Grant, that the Pastors who thy flock do tend,
And all who round thy holy altar bend,
Like gladsome office may rejoice to pray!

Grant that they may not plead or strive in vain,
But o'er their labours shed thy promised light,
That when to judge the world, Thou com'st again,
Thy way to us may level seem and plain,
And we may stand accepted in thy sight.

SONNET.

IMITATED FROM DES BARREAUX.

(For the Village Churchman.)

Great God! with justice all thy 'hests o'erflow,
And still thou joy'st to favour human kind:
But so have I transgress'd, that should'st Thou show
Mercy to me, to justice Thou wert blind.

Yes, Father, such my sin's enormity!

It leaves Thee but of punishment the choice:
Thy rights resist my pardon full and free;

And let him die !" is even Thy mercy's voice.
Be then Thy will perform'd-no longer spare-
Thy glory claims it-mock this gushing tear;
Strike-thunder-'tis full time-give war for war-
Sinking, the hand that strikes me, I revere.

Ah! on what spot can Thy dread thunders fall,
Uncovered by the blood, that covers all?

F. WRANGHAM.

NOTICE TO CORRESPONDENTS.

The Editor of the VILLAGE CHURCHMAN desires gratefully to acknowledge the favours of several correspondents, whose literary productions will, as far as is consistent with the spirit and design of his periodical, appear in due course.

I. The Forty Days of Lent.

II. The Ember-Days at the Four Seasons, (The First Sunday in Lent; the being the Wednesday, Friday, and Feast of Pentecost; Sept. 14; Saturday after.

Dec. 13.

III. The Three Rogation-Days, being the Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday before Holy Thursday, or the Ascension of our Lord.

IV. All the Fridays in the Year except Christmas-Day.

PRI. TED BY W. £. PAINTER, STRAND, LONDON.

THE PIOUS CHURCHMAN'S SUNDAY.

DIALOGUE BETWEEN FARMER GOODMAN, AND HIS LABOURER, THOMAS FAITHFUL.

[Continued from page 75.]

Thomas Faithful bade Farmer Goodman good night, after the conversation which was detailed in the former paper, and begged to have a little more talk the next morning on the same subject; to which Farmer Goodman willingly agreed, on receiving a promise from Thomas, that he would follow the plan he recommended to him as respects Saturday night.

The sabbath morning came; a holy calm seem to pervade every thing the sun was brightly shining; the birds were sweetly singing, the bleating of sheep and lowing of cattle fell at intervals on the ear, and the murmuring of the brook, which ran at the foot of the village church-yard, had a soothing influence on the mind. The nine o'clock peal was just being rung, and Farmer Goodman, having breakfasted and conducted his family prayer, had taken a turn into the garden to enjoy the freshness of the spring breeze and meditate on the goodness of the Almighty, where Thomas Faithful followed him, to have a little more chat on the subject which the farmer had put before him.

Farmer Goodman had reached the bottom of his garden

F

before he perceived that he was followed: on hearing a footstep behind him, he turned round.

Thomas. Good morning, master: there's a sweet fine morning, this morning.

Farmer. There is, Thomas.-Well, I suppose your'e come to talk to me a little more about the Sunday; I hope you did as I wished you last night.

Thomas. I did, master; and both me and my mistress were saying this morning, when we were getting our breakfast, we never felt more comfortable on a Sunday morning in our lives, and in better tune for going to church.

Farmer. Well, Thomas, I'm glad to hear you say so; now we talked last night how to finish up Saturday, and we've to see how to spend Sunday. Well then, as soon as I wake on a Sunday morning, I think of a beautiful little verse there is: "This is the day when Christ arose

So early from the dead;

Ah! why should I my eyelids close
And waste my hours in bed."

Now I can't be content to lay long in bed after thinking of this.
Thomas. Aye, well, that's wonderful.

Farmer. Well, then, I manage to have breakfast about two hours before morning prayer, and at family prayer, I remember to pray again for the ministers and dispensers of God's Holy Word and Sacraments, that they may both by their life and doctrine adorn the Gospel of Christ; and that we and all our neighbours may have grace to receive with meekness what they say, and to "bring forth the fruits of the Spirit."

Thomas. Well, master; and doesn't this praying for the minister and yourself make you profit more by what you hear? Farmer. Yes, Thomas, I can truly say it does; for God's Holy Spirit makes the going to church a blessing to us now, far different to what it was formerly.

Thomas. Then what do you do, master, between breakfast-time and prayers?

And

Farmer. Well, I employ myself in reading some part of the Bible or some book about religion; and I take care to send my children to be catechized by Mr. Peace-maker. besides, I let my farmer lads have nice tracts to read; and I always insist upon them and the maids going to church: I know that if I let them stay at home, they'll both learn ne good, and get into a great deal of naughtiness.

Thomas. Well, master, but I think there's a deal that doesn't think as much about keeping their Sunday holy as

you do; there's many a one as thinks that if he goes to church and does not work on a Sunday he may do as he likes.

Farmer. Well, Thomas, I'm sorry to think that there are many who care very little how they spend their Sundays, so they go to church; but I think they'll find themselves sadly mistaken. Now there are two or three things that look uncommon sensible to me, and when Mr. Peace-maker told me of them, he quite convinced me that I hadn't been spending my sabbaths right. The sabbath was made to make us wiser and better, and so I wish to get as much good as I can on it: and then if we are not quite sure how strict we ought to spend Sunday, yet it's the safest way to be a bit too strict: and besides, I always think, that if a man wants to serve God as little as ever he dare, he's in a very bad way, and likely to slip into sin without almost thinking of it.

Thomas. Aye, well, that's quite right; and I think according to that, Farmer Freeman oughtn't to have no merry company on a Sunday.

Farmer. I think if we are truly alive to our duty, we shall never have company on a Sunday so as to interfere with its being kept holy: whenever I have my friends or relations to see me on a Sunday, they always go with us to church, and don't prevent us from spending our time aright, and when we any of us go out, we go to church with our friends.

Thomas. Well, I'm sure that's the way for us poor folks to do; for if we didn't go to see our relations on a Sunday, we shouldn't get no time else. And I remember hearing a famous sarment when I went to see my cousin Will, where he was out at service.

(To be continued.)

A REVERIE;

OR A FEW WORDS IN SEASON.

"My thought are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord."

Jupiter (so says the fable) was once so pleased with a certain farmer, that he offered to accede to any one petition he should make." Only," said the agriculturist, in ecstacy, 66 only give me the control of the weather but for one year! I want no more." The request was no sooner made than complied with, and now, while heavy showers deluged the surrounding country, the delighted farmer viewed with exul