v. 17, 18, she felt as addressed to herself, and whenever she was tempted by the gentleness of her disposition, and fondness for her child to over-indulge him, she thought of these words, "Son of man, I have made thee as a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.

"When I say unto the wicked, thou shalt surely die, and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn him from his wicked way to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at thy hand." She would say, "Surely these fearful words are addressed to me, and to every Christian parent, and how can any such dare to sin against God, and endanger her own and her children's salvation by disregarding them. O Lord! my heavenly Father and Judge! give me grace to feel the vast importance of this charge; give me strength to obey thy will, and enable me in every instance to strive to subdue every fault that I may see rising in the temper of this beloved child, and vouchsafe to make me, imperfect and weak as I am, an instrument of good to him for time, and through eternity." Thus truly wise, as well as tender, was the conduct of this Christian mother, and richly was she rewarded by the more than common affection which this child of her fervent and frequent prayers showed for her, and it may truly be said, that through her care, Charles has grown up "in the nurture and admonition of the Lord."

On the morning John Sandby asked his son the question, with which this little history begins, Charles completed his 24th year. He did not immediately answer his father, otherwise than by blushing deeply.

"Why, what is the matter," asked his father again, 66 are you not well? or, has that love of your's, woman like, been for once trying her power over you, or is she not well?"

"Oh, she and I are both quite well, thank you, father, and as to her power," added he, smiling, "why she knows that she has it, and is too noble ever to use it improperly-but-"

"But what, my boy; thou dost not fear, I hope, to open thy heart to thy father, thy friend?" added he, in a kinder tone, observing the face he was wont to see brightened with smiles, appearing still more thoughtful. "Nothing, I hope, has happened to prevent new year's day, being your happy day,' as folks call it?"

"Oh no, I trust not, indeed," at length answered Charles, "Fanny and I have just been talking it over, and settling many little matters. It is foolish in me not at once to have told so kind a friend as yourself, what it is that weighs on my mind, and I will now honestly confess to you that there is one reason, nor can I call it a slight one, which makes me unwilling to bring Fanny here, according to your and my dearest mother's kind wish."

"Oh! oh! is it so? Well, then, take the cottage, and leave your mother and me to live here by ourselves."

"Not so, dear father; that would, I think, be very, very sad to us all; but to own the truth,-and why should I fear to tell it?-Fanny has, you know, father, been brought up religiously in her father's house she has been accustomed to hear the Scriptures read, and to regular family prayer; but here-do not be angry, my dear father, and think that I presume on your kindness-here, you know, she would have no such comfort; and though she would not, I am sure, speak of it to me, I could not bear that any one feeling of her dutiful and affectionate heart should be concealed from me. She loves both my parents, and she has often told me, that it is her great desire to be unto you both another child, and I grieve to think that there should be any drawback to this desire; that there should be any cause for her to think there is any falling short, in my dearest father, of that conduct which should bespeak a Christian head of a Christian family. Oh! that you would consent, if only for your own sake, that we should be a family worshipping God; and complete all the kindness which, in so many instances, you have shown me, by yielding this point, which I have before so often urged upon you, with all the respect and duty I am bound to show you, and all the anxious affection I so

sincerely feel for you." Charles spoke with a respectful earnestness which went to his father's heart.

"Well then," at last said John Sandby, with an emotion which he tried in vain to subdue, "well then, be it so, my dear fellow."

"And may I begin to night?"

"What, this very night? why, yes, if you are to have your way, it may as well be at once, but you must manage it all yourself, remember; for as you have before told me, if we have these prayers, the maidens, and the boys, and all, I suppose, who work and live on the premises must come."

"Oh! yes, dear father, if
dear father, if you please."

"Well, well, have it your own way, which, to own the truth, is, perhaps, the right way; and in these matters I do begin to think that your good mother and you have chosen the best way, after all my pride and self-will. So go, my dear boy, and tell her what you have persuaded me to consent to, and settle it all as you both please."

"Thank you," said the excellent young man, as he bowed his head upon his father's hand, "thank you from my heart, and may God Almighty grant His blessing largely upon you, and all who will meet around you to praise His holy name; and may He enable you and all of us to say in truth and sincerity of heart, As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!'"

"Well, I say, Amen;" answered John Sandby, somewhat surprised at himself, for the readiness with which he had at last come into a plan which, but a short time before, he would have resisted most firmly, as being so very much out of his way.

On the first of January, 1840, the day on which, perhaps, this little account may be read by you, my cottage friends, Charles Sandby and Fanny Scott, if so it please God to permit, are to become man and wife.

Their conduct hitherto has been such as to give solid ground of hope that they will, by the grace of God perfecting that which His Spirit has begun in them, be a rich blessing to each other, to their parents, and to all around them; and you will, I doubt not, join me in

heartily wishing them a happy new year, and as many happy returns of their wedding day, as it shall be the pleasure of their heavenly Father to give them.

I also sincerely wish to all of you, my dear cottage friends, a happy new year. Remember that the best means of its becoming so, is to begin, continue, and end it in a faithful service of the Lord your God. That each and all of you may desire to do this, is the earnest prayer of your sincere friend, AN OLD CORRESPONDENT.

RED COATS AND BLUE JACKETS.

"WHAT can this mean?" says one of our readers. "Red coats and blue jackets! Why, sure enough, Mr. Visitor must mean the soldiers and the sailors. And pray, sir, what have you to do with the soldiers and the sailors? I thought you were a Cottage Visitor,' and that you meant to give us some such matter as suits us country people. What do we care about soldiers and sailors? Besides, sir, we don't think you know much about such matters yourself; and you had better keep to your old subjects.

"Well, my friend, I believe you are partly right; but still you must bear in mind that I can get some help in such matters from those who understand them better than I do. I should not, however, have thought of the soldiers and sailors just now, if my mind had not been drawn to them by a little tract which has been sent to me. It is written by a Retired officer,' and addressed to Red Coats and Blue Jackets.' It has a light sort of sound with it, but it contains matter of serious and good advice to the brave defenders of our country, the soldiers and the sailors. As this retired officer will handle the matter better than we can, we shall give a few portions of his tract to our readers; and these words may meet the eye of some who may know how to prize them. We shall first give the opinion expressed on this tract, in two wellknown publications."

The Dublin Evening Mail says:

"Here is a little tract of sixteen pages, but containing, in its light and lively touches, more good sense and sound

divinity than we have often met in folios. It is evidently what it professes to be-the reverie of a military man, fond of his profession, attached to his old associates in arms, possessed of the healthy and cheerful hilarity of a veteran in true religion, and benevolently disposed to impart the secret of his happiness to his old friends and companions. This little piece appeared originally in the 'United Service Gazette,' and has been, we think, most judiciously re-published as a tract, at the request of several officers and clergymen. Our wish is, that it should find a place in every mess-room and ship's cabin, and form a portion of those military and naval libraries which have of late grown up in every regiment and ship's company." The Naval and Military Gazette says:

"We have seldom been better pleased with a religious tract than with the one before us. It is a plain, simple, straightforward, honest-hearted, manly address. cause of Christianity is here most ably handled."

The

The following passage is taken from the tract: "It is sometimes foolishly said, that it is a waste of time to speak to soldiers or sailors on the subject of religion. But, comrades, the Saviour did not think so. For we read in the Bible that a centurion (that is, a captain of a company in the Roman army) having been quartered in the land of Israel, and thus, I presume, having been led to read the books of the prophets (as you may be to read the Bible), or having heard what the Jewish Scriptures contained, was convinced that Jesus was 'he who should come:''he to whom all the prophets bear witness.' So this centurion went to Him, beseeching Him to heal his servant; and Jesus did heal him. Now this narrative is one of the best and most beautiful military lessons I ever read; for the conduct of this officer teaches how anxious we should be for the welfare of those under Then such an instance of subordination and confidence in superiors! The centurion says, 'I am not of that rank to entitle me to the honour of a visit from ONE of your exalted station, but 'I am a man under authority' of my superior officers, whom I implicitly obey; and I have soldiers under me, and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and

us.