By our own strength we cannot stand against the smallest temptation. Should we not then take every means of obtaining that help from God which He has promised to all who seek it in the way He has appointed?

Jane.—And you believe the partaking of the Lord's Supper to be a means of strengthening us against temptation?

Susan.-Assuredly I do. Our Catechism tells us that the "benefits we receive thereby, are the strengthening and refreshing of our souls." And you remember our Lord said, "where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." In what assembly can we believe Him to be so especially present as with those who meet to "show forth his death," in the way He has appointed? And where He is present what is there that is good for us, that He will not be ready to give us abundantly beyond all that we can ask or think? Whatever be our want or our weakness, can we do better than bring it to Him when we kneel at His table, believing that He will by His Spirit enable us to "feed on Him by faith, with thanksgiving," and that we shall find that "His flesh is meat indeed, and His blood is drink indeed ?"

Jane. Many thanks, dear sister, for the trouble _you have taken; I will think of all that you have said. Pray for me that the Holy Spirit may make it useful to me, and that I may be strengthened in my present wish and intention to accompany you to the Lord's table. I wish I had long ago done as you did when you were in difficulty. If I had asked advice from our good vicar, I am sure he would have been as kind to me as Mr. P. was to you.

Susan.-I hope to-morrow we may have an opportunity of speaking to Mr. P. on this subject, and he will be able to help you in any thing you wish to have explained much better than I can. Will you in the mean time read the account given by St. Matt. and St. Luke of our Lord's last supper with His disciples, and also the 6th chapter of St. John's Gospel. And may God's Spirit enable us both to feed in sincerity upon the Bread of life!

M.

HYMNS FOR SUNDAY MORNING.

THIS day belongs to God alone;
He chooses Sunday for his own;
And we must neither work nor play,
Because it is the Sabbath-day.

'Tis well to have one day in seven,
That we may learn the way to heaven;
Or else, we never should have thought,
About religion as we ought.

Then, let us spend it as we should,
In serving God, and growing good;
And not forget, when Sunday's gone,
What texts the sermons were upon.

We ought to-day to learn and seek
What we may think of all the week;
And be the better every day

For what we've heard the preacher say.

And every Sabbath should be pass'd,
As if we knew it were our last;
For, what would dying people give,
To have one Sabbath more to live.

CASTOR.

Sent by C. H.

ANTIDOTE TO CHARTISM.

SIR,-I am old-fashioned enough to go to church, and to fancy, first, that I get good there for myself; second, that I get good for others; and, third, that if the wretched rebels in Wales had done the same, they would not have served that hard master and bad paymaster, who is said to have been both "a liar and a murderer from the beginning." As to my first head, I say nothing, because it won't interest people to talk of myself; but to prove I got some good for others; I was at church last 3d of November, the Sunday when thousands of traitors and rioters were planning an insurrection which was to end in conflagration and bloodshed that very night. without dreaming of what they were about, not I alone, but hundreds of thousands of my fellow-worshippers, were that day invoking blessings without end upon the head of the Government, the Privy Council, the Clergy, the Judges,

Now,

the magistrates, the members of my own church and of all other churches, and especially upon all who were then "in danger, necessity, and tribulation;" besides which, we prayed that "all who had erred and were deceived might be brought into the way of truth;" that we might all be "delivered from battle, murder, and sudden death;" and we further sought for protection against "all sedition, privy conspiracy, and rebellion." As this, too, was the first Sunday in the month, hundreds of thousands of my fellow-Christians on that day, as well as myself, received the holy sacrament, in which we all began by entreating God for His blessing on the Queen; "that under her we might be godly and quietly governed, and that her whole council, and all in authority under her" (which, of course, included the mayors of every town in England), "might minister justice to the punishment and wickedness of vice." We were fortified in these requests by the first lesson of that day, which taught that "though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not be unpunished," and that "as righteousness tends to life, so he that pursues evil pursues it to his own death;" while the second lesson plainly inculcated the duty of rendering allegiance and tribute to the Crown, as well as honour to God. The morning Psalms also contained a prayer for "deliverance from the ungodly," and that God would "disappoint him, and cast him down;" while the evening declared the confidence of the Psalmist in God, "who," he says, "had girded him with strength of war, and would, on his behalf, discomfit an host of men, delivering him from his cruel enemies, setting him up above his adversaries, ridding him from the wicked, and making his enemies to turn their backs." Now, I apprehend that all who thus trusted God, under the promises of His word, aud prayed for the poor, the helpless, and the weak, before the perils of that night, were among the best friends of their country; and not to see and acknowledge this would, I think, be only one kind of infidelity. If these views are correct, then my third head proves itself, because, if these misguided and wicked men had been worshipping God on that Sabbath, they would not have been the prey of demagogues and deceivers, nor

sought the destruction of their countrymen, and their own ruin, both of soul and body.

I am borne out further by the Christian and patriotic speeches since made at Newport, where the deliverance there effected by a handful of brave men, civil and military, whose hearts were in the right place, was publicly acknowledged as a victory from God, and, I shall venture to add, a victory in answer to the prayers which were that day offered in the 10,000 churches of the realm.-I am, Sir, your most obedient servant, LAICUS. Sent by L. L.

LIFE OF ST. STEPHEN.

THE religion of Christ being designed not only to save mankind from everlasting death, but also to take away the sin of the world, and consequently, being opposed to the evil passions and customs of guilty men, naturally met with all the opposition, and its professors, with all the persecution, of which our nature is capable. For it is not to be supposed that Satan, after having so long possessed the undivided sovereignty of the Gentile nations, and no slight power, over the Jews, would yield up his empire without a violent and protracted struggle. The first effort of the powers of hell was the crucifixion of our blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, a sin of so black a dye, that the sun veiled its face at noonday, as if it were unwilling to behold the humiliation and death of its Creator. The earth trembled and shook, and the bodies of saints of old arose to comfort and support the trembling and afflicted disciples. But our holy religion instead of being crushed by the death of its Founder, increased more and more, and the wicked one enraged at the failure of his devices, incited both Jews and Pagans to the bitterest hatred of his followers.

Love, the unfailing accompaniment of true faith, appears at this time to have reigned universally through the Church. All the members of Christ's body, were then "of one heart and of one soul." Schism was then unknown; and "great grace was upon all." Those who believe, we are told, had all things common:

they sold their lands and possessions, and laid the price of them at the Apostles' feet, and from the stock thus provided the wants of those that had need were supplied.

It would nevertheless appear that from the numerous avocations of the Apostles, the widows of the Grecian proselytes were neglected in the daily ministrations. To obviate this inconvenience seven deacons were appointed, who should attend to the temporal concerns of the church, as well as occasionally assist in the duties of prayer and preaching the word. Of these ancient tradition informs us,-St. Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, was appointed the chief or archdeacon. It is certain that he was born a Jew, and though some report that he was a fellow-disciple of St. Paul, at the feet of Gamaliel, the more credible account makes him one of the seventy followers of our Lord.

Having entered upon his ministry, he wrought great wonders and miracles among the people, insomuch that the anger of the Jews was stirred up against him, and they were no longer able to bear the success of his labours.

Then arose sundry champions from five synagogues apparently of great repute in Jerusalem, endeavouring by disputing to overthrow him. These soon found that their worldly learning was no match for the wisdom of St. Stephen they were not able to resist the Spirit by which he spake.

And now the malice of their hearts against the Church of God, began to exhibit itself. They suborned false witnesses which said "this man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words, against this holy place, and against the law; for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place, and shall change the customs which Moses delivered us.' Here was the true cause of offence. The Jews had long expected a temporal prince. The kingdom of Christ was not of this world. They would have acknowledged a triumphant conqueror. They rejected a suffering Saviour.

The holy man was now dragged before the Sanhedrim,