poor. During its progress, be it known that, I always reserved my pleasantest employment for the morning -sometimes I indulged in innocent recreations; I also allowed myself to drop to sleep a quarter of an hour once or twice in the day sitting in my chair. When the morning was cold I lighted a little fire, and everything was scrupulously attended to, in order mildly to bring my obstructing body into subjection, and thus win over myself, permanently, to the practice of early rising. The consequence was, it soon became easy and habitual; and it already begins to be as unpleasant to me to lie in bed after four, as it once was to rise before seven or eight; I find more vigour of body and mind and greater resolution to overcome difficulties; I can endure laborious thinking and writing far better than before. I also gain hereby three hours daily, and can generally accomplish double the work in those first, quiet, precious, and unmolested hours, than in the same period of any part of the bustling day: and what is of the most importance of all, I have a quieter conscience."

Never despise small suggestions or insignificant beginnings in any laudable undertaking.

"October 21st, 1821. It is truly astonishing how much good one individual may sometimes accomplish. A young man who was very desirous of promoting Sunday-schools in this town, finding none at the Methodist chapel, strongly pressed the propriety of establishing one, and offered some books. The suggestion lingered for a season, but at length a school of such enormous extent was commenced, that it was literally impossible for such a handful of teachers long to superintend them there were two hundred children. As was expected, it soon came to nought. But, observe, the dissenters, roused by the mighty energies of the feeble Methodists, forthwith began to enlarge their borders; they doubled their Sunday-school and commenced a week-day-school. The Church people, ashamed of their now great inferiority, followed the same plan, and

soon after a National school was established by them, where one hundred children are daily educated. The Unitarians also enlarged theirs. So out of the ruins of the poor Methodist school sprang several flourishing ones, which are a lasting credit to the town. I say all this immense good arose from the exertions of an individual. 'Cast thy bread on the waters.""

"February 17th, 1822. This week the following remarkable occurrence took place. One of our friends felt her mind strongly impressed to go and see a sick young man of our society, who is now confined to his bed in Salisbury infirmary. As soon as this friend entered the sick ward, another sick young man near raised himself in his bed, and pointing to Elizabeth B. with transport exclaimed 'That woman is the very woman whom I have been dreaming about all last night, as being the person who would speak to me about my soul's salvation; she has the same colored clothes on, and is marked with the small-pox exactly as I saw her in my dream.' 'With uncommon liberty,' says she, 'I preached unto him the unsearchable riches of Christ: there were seventeen sick men in the ward, and they all seemed alive to the importance of their doubtful situation. When I left them, their affection reminded me of the parting scene of Paul and the elders at Ephesus.'-ACTS xx. 37. Let infidelity reason away this if it can! The woman was never before in Salisbury infirmary-the young man alluded to, never saw her before in all his life.'

66

PAINFUL SPIRITUAL EXERCISES.

"In heaviness through manifold temptations."

February 10th, 1822. The last month has been a time of great searchings of hearts: I know of no period of my christian life which has been more trying. 'Fightings without and fears within ;' tumult, distress, evil-speaking, and opposition, both in tem

poral and spiritual concerns, have been almost my daily portion. Truly the storm arose and beat vehemently against that house." The Lord only

knows the sore travail that some of his creatures sometimes endure. The best method to be adopted in these times of tribulation is, to get down, down, as low as possible-quickly down, into the lowest vale of humility, and there abide: much of the tempest then passes harmlessly over our heads. O how wretched must the existence of a man be in these dreadful storms, who has nothing to look to, or to repose on, but 'the things which are seen.' Every worldly purpose seemed blasted. God, Most High, sometimes in his wisdom, takes us to pieces before the world; causes a complete death to take place to all our hopes, prospects, and possessions; and the cheering rays of the Sun of Righteousness do not appear for many gloomy days.

'For thou hast known Eclipses, and endured
Dimness and anguish, all thy beams obscured.'

O how dreadful beyond description, at all times, is the situation of the soul with whom God has a controversy in wrath! O how prompt, deep, and earnest, should the searching out of the heart on these occasions be. How quickly should the accursed thing be wholly sacrificed and put far away. Merciful Father and Friend, I bless Thy holy name, I humbly trust that of all thou hast given me I have lost nothing. No,-burning, yet unconsumed.' I still retain my love to thee and to thy blessed cause, and I desire still evermore to take thee ‘for better for worse, for richer for poorer.'

But O, the conflict of soul, sometimes endured, I say, in order to keep the faith on those occasions. Well may the apostle say 'Lest when I have preached to others, I myself should become a castaway.'

'Help Lord to whom for help I fly,
And still ny tempted soul stand by,
Throughout the evil day.'

Strange as it may appear, although all manner of evil has been spoken of us, as a society, yet the work actually revives amongst us, and I believe real good is doing. 'If in this life only we had hope in Christ,' says the apostle, 'we should be of all men the most miserable,—that is, the peculiar, exquisite, sensibilities of a real christian are such, that did not God sometimes give him to taste of the refreshing 'powers of the world to come,' the persecutions, temptations, difficulties and disappointments, doubts and fears, which he has to endure, would well-nigh, if not entirely, drink up his spirits. And O, how this applies in double force, at all times, to the sacred ministry. "That which cometh upon me from without, daily, the care of all the churches." "

MEDICAL ELECTRICITY.

CASE 13. Aged twelve.-Great weakness and pain in the knee for a year and a half. Shocks through the affected part; received benefit the first and second application, the fourth made it apparently worse than before: the boy concluding that it did him an injury, then relinquished it. I saw him a month afterwards and he informed me that his knee was quite well.

14. Aged twenty.-Pain in the left side for some time (suppression). Shocks through the sides, three evenings; perfectly cured.

15. Aged twenty-five.-Great weakness and debility throughout the whole system for eight months (suppression), had been given up by the faculty as incurable. Shocks through every part, four evenings; perfectly cured.

16. A little boy lost the use of his left side for a month, through convulsion fits suddenly seizing him. Sparks, three evenings; considerable benefit. I saw him no more.

17. Aged fifty.-Prodigious habitual sleepiness attended with swelled legs; would frequently fall asleep while eating-he was very corpulent. Sparks to the head, numerous shocks all over his body; immediate relief obtained-profuse perspiration always produced; in a fortnight his corpulency was reduced nine inches in girth. Quite recovered.

CHAPTER VIII.

NEW MODE OF EDUCATING SCHOOL CHILDREN, WITH ADDITIONAL BIBLE ASSOCIATION REPORTS, AND OTHER INFORMATION.

A memorandum in reference to the education of children, made December 1st, 1822, will shew the workings of that newly-invented plan.

"A few months ago I undertook the care of some children at the Common, and endeavoured to meet them in a way of religious experience, speaking to them about the state of their souls, and hearing them repeat hymns or portions of the scriptures by heart, for which I rewarded them each with a penny. Observe, I do not give them the money at the time I hear them, because they shall not lay it out on the Sunday, but I give them a small ticket which authorizes them to receive it of a neighbour the next morning. It is truly astonishing how this encourages them, and with what facility they learn. From thirty to forty attend at the chapel every Sunday morning, and though it is certainly attended with considerable expence, yet there is the most unquestoned benefit derived therefrom. I have long lamented the very great and evident defect of the Sunday-school system. -Sunday-schools are undoubtedly very good so far as they go, but they stop far short, generally, of the desired effect. The object of them is, or ought to be, that of making the children not barely learned, but good, virtuous, holy, heavenly-minded. Short of

this, of what avail is all the teaching? Now, I say, there is a manifest defect in this respect: too much time is spent in attending to the letter of the word;