ing his evenings abroad. It implies something bad, and it predicts something worse."

And then to ensure as far as possible, the society of her husband, at his own fire side, let the wife be " a keeper at home," and do all in her power to render that fire side as attractive as good temper, neatness, and cheerful, affectionate conversation can make it; let her strive to make his own home, the soft green on which his heart loves to repose in the sunshine of domestic enjoyment. We can easily imagine, that even in Paradise, when man had no apparition of guilt, no vissions of crime, no spectral voice from a troubled conscience, to make him dread solitude, and flee from it, that even then, Adam liked not, on his return from the labour of dressing the garden, to find Eve absent from their bower, but wanted the smile of her countenance to light up his own, and the music of her voice to be the melody of his soul. Think, then, how much more in his fallen estate, with guilt upon his conscience, and care pressing upon his heart, does man now, on coming from the scenes of his anxious toil, need the aid of woman's companionship, to drive away the swarm of buzzing cares, that light upon the heart to sting it; to smooth the brow ruffled with sadness; to tranquillize the bosom agitated with passion; and at once to reprove and comfort the mind that has in some measure yielded to temptation. O, woman! thou knowest the hour when "the good man of the house" will return, at mid-day, while the sun is yet bowing down the labourer with the fierceness of his beams, or at

evening, when the heat and burden of the day are past; do not let him, at such a time, when he is weary with exertion, and faint with discouragement, find, upon his coming to his habitation, that the foot which should hasten to meet him, is wandering at a distance, that the soft hand which should wipe away the sweat from his brow, is knocking at the door of other houses: nor let him find a wilderness, where he should enter a garden; confusion, where he ought to see order; or filth that disgusts, where he might hope to behold neatness, that delights and attracts. If this be the case, who can wonder, that in the anguish of disappointment, and in the bitterness of a neglected and heart-stricken husband, he turns away from his door, for that comfort which he wished to enjoy at home, and that society which he hoped to find in his wife, and put up with the substitutes for both, which he finds in the houses of other men, or in the company of other wo

men.

United to be associates then, let man and wife be as much in each other's society as possible: and there must be something wrong in domestic life, when they need the aid of balls, routes, plays, card parties, to relieve them from the tedium produced by home pursuits. I thank God, I am a stranger to that taste, which leads a man to flee from his own comfortable parlour, and the society of his wife, from the instruction and recreation contained in a well-stored library, or the evening rural walk, when the business of the day is over, to scenes of public amusement for enjoy

ment; to my judgment, the pleasures of home, and of home society, when home and home society, are all that could be desired, are such as never cloy, and need no change, but from one kindred scene to another. I am sighing and longing, perhaps in vain, for a period, when society shall be so elevated, and so purified; when the love of knowledge will be so intense, and the habits of life will be so simple; when religion and morality will be so generally diffused, that men's homes will be the seat and circle of their pleasures; when in the society of an affectionate and intelligent wife, and of well educated children, each will find his greatest earthly delight; and when it will be felt to be no more necessary to happiness, to quit their own fire side for the ball room or the concert, than it is to go from the well spread table, to the public feast, to satisfy the cravings of a healthy appetite; then will it be no longer imposed upon us to prove, that public amusements are improper, for they will be found to be unnecessary.

But the pleasures of home must not be allowed to interfere with the calls and claims of public duty. Wives must not ask, and husbands must not give, that time which is demanded for the cause of God and man. This is an age of active charity, and the great public institutions which are set up, cannot be kept in operation, without great sacrifices of time and leisure by very many persons. Those, who by their wisdom, talents, rank, or property, receive the confidence of the public, must stand prepared to fill up and conduct the executive departments of our societies; nor should

they allow the soft allurements of their own houses, to draw them away from what is obviously the post of duty. We have known some, who, till they entered into wedded life, were the props and pillars of our institutions, yield so far to the solicitations of their new and dearest earthly friend, as to vacate their seat at the board of management, for ever after. It is, indeed, a costly way of contributing to the cause of religion and humanity, to give those evening hours which could be spent so pleasantly in a country walk, or in the joint perusal of some interesting volume; but who can do good, or ought to wish to do it, without sacrifices? I know an eminently holy and useful minister, who told the lady to whom he was about to be united, that one of the conditions of their marriage was, that she should never ask him for that time, which, on any occasion, he felt it to be his duty to give to God. And surely, any woman might feel herself more blessed in having sometimes to endure the loss of a husband's society, whose presence and talents were coveted by all public institutions, than in being left to the unmolested enjoyment of the company of one, whose assistance was coveted by none.

4. MUTUAL FOR BEARANCE is another duty.

This we owe to all, not excepting the stranger, or an enemy; and most certainly it must not be denied to our nearest and dearest earthly friend. For the charity that suffereth long and is kind; that envieth not; vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up; that doth not behave itself unseemly; seeketh not her own; is not

easily provoked; thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; that covereth all things; believeth all things; hopeth all things; endureth all things: for this charity there is both need and room in every relation of life. Wherever sin or imperfection exists, there is scope for the forbearance of love. There is no perfection upon earth. Lovers, it is true, often fancy they have found it; but the more sober judgment of husbands and wives, generally corrects the mistake; and first impressions of this kind, generally pass away with first love. We should all enter the married state, remembering that we are about to be united to a fallen creature; and as in every case, as Mr. Bolton remarks, it is not two angels that have met together, but two sinful children of Adam, from whom must be looked for much weakness and waywardness, we must make up our minds to some imperfection; and remembering that we have no small share of our own that calls for the forbearance of the other party, shall exercise the patience that we ask.' Where both have infirmities, and they are so constantly together, innumerable occasions will be furnished, if we are eager, or even willing to avail ourselves of the opportunities for those contentions, which, if they do not produce a permanent suppression of love, lead to its temporary interruption. Many things we should connive at, others we should pass by with an unprovoked mind, and in all things most carefully avoid even what at first may seem to be an innocent disputation. Affection does not forbid, but actually de