riches, but robs us of the best wealth. It flatters with hopes of honor, but rewards with contempt and disgrace. It promises liberty, but binds in chains. The paths it would have us tread appear strewed with rose leaves, but experience pronounces them, briers and thorns. Sin makes fair proposals of felicity, but betrays to misery and destruction. Though wickedness be sweet in his mouth, yet it is the gall of asps within him. It is a way that seems right, but ends in death. The end of these things is death. Sin has the power of imposing upon us, not only once or twice in the course of our existence, but in nume, rous and diversified instances. If a person could deceive us frequently in the same thing it would argue his subtilty and power of deception. This awful capacity of deception does sin possess. In what a variety of instances, has it imposed upon men! How often have they been deceived in the same thing! Though men have been disappointed and tormented by sin; though they have resolved and vowed against it, yet it has nevertheless deceived them, again and again. Hence the numberless sins that are committed against light and knowledge, against conviction and remonstrances of conscience."

Its deceitfulness appears in its almost insensible, but, gradual progress. How egregiously deceived were our first parents! The woman first hesitates at the truth of what God had said; she looks upon the forbidden fruit as fair and desirable, then she eats, gives a portion of it to her husband; then, when it was too late, they find they had lost the good and found the evil. Thus sin entered into the world. David indulges to ease, self-indulgence leads to Adultery, and Adultery terminates in Murder. What is man! Drunkenness leads to every excess of riot. Herod's banquet and his daughter's dancing, finishes with the beheading of John the Baptist. How often have transgressors, when entering on the career of vice, trembled at the thought of those sins, which they have soon after committed, without shame or remorse. Is thy servant a Dog? said Ha-i zael, to the Prophet, that he should do this thing? But notwithstanding his seeming abhorrence of cruelty, soon after, he had brutality enough to accomplish all that the Prophet had predicted concerning him. No man becomes wicked all at once. The progress of sin in general, is gradual, yet sometimes it is awfully rapid. Beware of the beginning of vice. The carcer of depravity is like going down hill, you cannot stop where you please. Do not flatter yourselves, that you shall be able to return from the destructive paths of sin, whenever you think pro

per. God may leave you fast in the chains of your depravity which you have forged for yourselves.

Female Faithfulness encouraged.

W. B.

Perhaps no part of Christian duty is more commonly neg lected, than friendly, faithful conversation. Both ministers and private Christians come short in this point. There are ministers who appear in some good degree to be faithful in the pulpit, who yet are seldom known to introduce the subject of religion in their social, family visits. If a minister be not a man of experimental religion, this neglect is easily accounted for. But how a truly good man, who loves his Master and his work, can constantly neglect such favourable opportunities of doing good to the souls of his hearers, is difficult to conceive. A fear of offending, or at least of rendering himself an unpleasant visitor, is probably his best excuse. But is this a sufficient one? We know it is not.

Private Christians are beset with the same temptations; and in some respects they appear more plausible and powerful. They reason thus; if ministers, who are specially devoted to the duties of religion, do not think it proper to introduce religious conversation, what would be thought of us if we should attempt it? Should not we be condemned as pharisaical? By some you probably might. But would not Heaven and conscience approve such a procedure? If ever you were enabled, with proper feelings, thus to plead the cause of your divine Master, did you regret it? I am persuaded you did not. Ou the contrary, have you not felt a sweet peace in your own souls, when you have been enabled to do your duty? Besides, you had the pleasure of indulging a secret hope, that what had been said, would, under a divine blessing, prove of everlasting advantage to some of your friends. How many, who now adorn our churches, date their first serious impressions from the faithful, affectionate address of some pious friend? Or perhaps to some word which at the time appeared to have been accidentally dropped? These instances ought to reprove our backwardness, and serve as a stimulus to faithful exertion.

If those brethren, who more commonly take the lead of conversation in religious circles, are thus backward, how readily may we suppose that female modesty will furnish a very ample

excuse? But are there not frequent, and almost daily opportunities, when a pious female may, without infringing in the least, on the laws of propriety, speak on God's behalf? Nature has endowed the fair sex with a higher degree of sensibility, than what is bestowed upon us. Hence we oftea perceive an eloquence almost irresistible; especially when the heart is warmed by the love of Jesus. Instances abound, both in sacred and profane history, of the triumphant effects of this kind of address. Read the twenty fifth chapter of the first book of Samuel, and you will see an enraged prince determined to a venge his injured honour, and upon the very point of gratifying his sanguinary rage. When, behold! à female prostrates herself at his feet, and by her sensible, insinuating address, in a moment disarms him of all his resentment! He sheaths his sword and with a heart softened into gratitude blesses the God of Israel, who made his amiable friend the happy instrument of averting his anger, and of keeping back his sword from blood. He now calmly resolves to leave the work to him, to whom vengeance belongs; who will recompense a reward to the workers of iniquity.

Behold also the woman of Samaria! No sooner had she seen the Saviour, and tasted of the water of life, than she leaves her water pot, and flies into the city, in baste, to bear the joyful tidings. I imagine I see her surrounded by her friends and neighbours, her eyes sparkling with joy, while her tongue breaks forth in rapturous strains, Come, see a man who told me all things which ever I did: is not this the Christ. This artless confession was full proof of the Saviour's omniscience. Hence this moving invitation could not be resisted. "He has told me my very heart:" (said she) "Do come and see him." "Is not this the Christ?" Nor did she expostulate in vain. O no: for we are told, that "Many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, who testified, “He told me all that ever I did." Happy woman! May thousands imitate thy pious example.

As a further encouragement we subjoin the following extract from a memoir of the Rev. Mr. Nicholson, late pastor of the church, Mulberry Garden, London; who "triumphantly fell asleep in the arms of his glorious Redeemer, June 29, 1807, in the 47th year of his age.'

"Mr. Nicholson was born of respectable parents, in the parish of Netherwasdale, Cumberland, Jan. 5, 1761. He was the youngest son; and, being designed for the church, he was

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sent, when very young, to the public grammar school at St. Bee's Head, near Whitehaven. He was favoured from carly life with great tenderness of conscience, which often produced convictions of the evil of sin. His great thirst for learning was, probably, another mean of keeping him from the contagious vices often committed in our public seminaries ;-but this stu dious ardour undermined an excellent constitution. Towards the close of his education, he studied, winter and summer, till two o'clock in the morning; an imprudence which he afterwards regretted.

"He was ordained, in deacon's orders, at Chester, by the present bishop of London, Sept. 28, 1783; and then chosen by the parishioners to the Perpetual Curacy of Woodale-head, in Cumberland. He became a zealous preacher, though his zeal "was not according to knowledge." In this obscure village there was scarcely any society, except a respectable family of Baptists, who treated him with much civility and affection. He admired their company, while he greatly disliked their religious tenets. The female part of the family frequently, and most commendably, took occasion to insist on the necessity of vital religion, and salvation alone by grace. This he strenuously opposed; but he was often astonished at their ready acquaintance with the word of God. Ashamed of his ignorance he began to read his Bible attentively, that he might be able to confute them; but for no other purpose. One day, when warmly engaged in debate, one of the ladies, with uplifted hands, implored the Holy Spirit to enlighten his mind, and dispose him to preach the truths which he now opposed. Her prayer was heard; divine light beamed upon his mind; and he, from that period, opposed no more; but began earnestly to seek the Lord by prayer, and the study of the Holy Scriptures. The success of this pious and prudent effort may encourage others to similar labours of love, for the salvation of their friends; the fair sex too may receive a stimulus from it to use their talents and influence towards accomplishing so great an object.'

An Address to the Baptist Denomination. Honoured Brethren and Fathers,

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The writer who now presumes to address you, has for a considerable time been a member of your denomination. A body of professing believers,

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whom he can truly say, he loves for the truth's sake. he is conscious the distinguishing teuets it maintains, and the practices it enforces, make it unpopular, and subject it to derision, contempt, and persecution; yet none of these things can hinder his attachment to what he conceives to be compliance with the sovereign will, and conformity to the attractive example of Him who is the Author and finisher of eternal Salvation. Should our principles, as Baptists, be marked with greater opprobrium, and stigmatized with a higher degree of unpopularity than they now are; yet their being founded on the truth of him that cannot lie becomes an efficacious antidote, to repel all the calumny by which they are assaulted. "Great is the truth and will prevail;" is a maxim which may with the utmost propriety console our minds under all the censures we endure. Pleasing will be the time when all the followers of the Lamb shall see eye to eye. That truly desirable event, will in the end take place, and then we entertain little doubt, but what our distinguishing peculiarity will be universally acknowledged as instituted by the great Lawgiver of the Christian Church.

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While, however, the writer feels the utmost attachment to the system of truth professed; for some time he has lamented that want of energy and union which, alas, is too visible among It is a subject of real grief that no greater concentration of exertion has existed among us as a body. It is an expression that was often in the mouth of one of our number, who is now with the saints surrounding the throne of God, but whose mcmory will long be embalmed in the recollection of thousands, that the Baptists is the best cause, but the worst conducted." Is it not to be lamented that what is in itself noble, that what is conformable to the divine wili, should ever want that unanimity of counsel and conduct, by which its energies might be best enployed in accomplishing that noblest of all objects the advancement of Immanuel's kingdom? Is not Jerusalem presented to our attention as a city which is compact together-and shall we not strive how we best can realize the figure? Is not the Church as a company of horses in Pharaoh's Chariot; and shall we not all draw one way to hasten on the Millenial Car of the Sen of God? Almost every other denomination of professing Belicvers in this kingdom have some annual assembly that unites them as a whole body-that gives a fresh animation to the best of those feelings which regenerating grace implants in the heart -and impels forward with accelerated force to vigorous activity in the noblest of all employments that can occupy the head, the heart, the tongue or the life of one ransomed at the price of