Isaac, in the strength of his belief in God, and it was imputed to him for righteousness.

Let us, therefore, my friends, strive to cultivate both faith and works; praying to God for His grace to enable us to overcome all our spiritual enemies, and for His Holy Spirit to lead us and guide us into all truth. For, assuredly, if we trust in our own strength, we shall fail; there is but one way of fulfilling God's commandments, by praying to Him for His special grace to help us in all things. X. Y. Z.

THE POOR, RICH IN GOOD WORKS. WE all owe God as much as we are able to devote to His service and honour, and we must not think to put Him off with part of it; for He reckons that He receives nothing from us, unless it be proportionable to what He hath bestowed upon us. But how little soever it is that we give or offer to Him, if it be but answerable to our estates, it will be accepted by Him. This our Saviour hath Himself assured us of (Mark xii. 43, 44). From whence we may certainly conclude, that there is not the poorest person whatsoever but may be as rich in good works as the richest, because God doth not measure the goodness of our works by their bulk or quantity, but by the proportion which they bear to our estates: so that he who gives a penny, may do as good a work as he that gives a pound, yea, and a better too, because his may be as much as he is able, whereas the other's is not.— Bishop Beveridge.

EXTRACT FROM A NEWSPAPER.

TWO NEW BISHOPRICS.-We hear with great satisfaction of another splendid proof of individual solicitude for the spiritual welfare of our distant colonies. One person has come nobly forward to endow two new bishoprics-one for the Cape of Good Hope, and the other for South Australia: and the matter is in a train for completion. When we reflect that each of these is to be settled with £1200 per annum, it will be seen that a very large sum of money, probably above £40,000, must be sunk, in order to accomplish this labour of Christian charity and love.-Literary Gazette.

NOTICE TO CORRESPONDENTS.

We have received the communications of a Layman; M. P.; C. R.; H. P. L. S. P.; X. Y. Z.; and L. S. R.

SELLING ON THE SUNDAY, AT WAKES AND FAIRS.

IT has often been a subject of great grief, that the amusements of the poor have very often a sad tendency to encourage profligacy and sin,-quarrels, drinking, fighting, Sabbath-breaking, and a great deal more that is bad, and ruinous to the poor themselves. And those who try to put a stop to these things are spoken against, as if they were trying to interfere with the enjoyments of the poor, when, in fact, those are the best friends of the poor who try to prevent them from making themselves miserable; for it is the truth, I am afraid, which those speak, who say that half the distress which the poor have brought on themselves during the year, can be traced back to the wake or the fair: and our minister tells me that all he has done for the children of the parish for the year has been undone by the temptations of the fair. We have, however, now got one very bad part of the fair set aside; I mean the buying and selling and trafficking on the Sunday. But in some places this bad practice goes on. A few weeks ago I went to church

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some miles off, and returning home through a small village, I saw stalls, and booths, and tables, all set out with things to sell, just as if the people had entirely forgotten that it was the Sabbath-day. Why is this to go on? It is quite contrary to law; and this might be stopped, even though there may be reason for continuing the feast on the other days of the week. Surely the selling ought not to begin till the Monday. The minister of my parish and some other gentlemen put a stop to this without any proceedings of law against the people, but only by quiet advice, and showing them the wickedness of such a practice. Few things bring on more misery, and crime, and suffering than Sabbath-breaking; and our children ought not to be exposed to such a temptation as the Sunday buying and selling puts in their way. V.

ON THE USE OF THE CREED.

THE creed is what is commonly called "the belief;" and the word has exactly the same meaning. We are all well acquainted with that simple form of it called the "Apostles'" creed, and which was called so because either the Apostles themselves made it, or else it was made so soon after their time as to have been generally thought to be the form used in their days.

There are not a few persons who are ignorant of the great use and value of such forms. If we knew well the history of the Christian church, we should soon understand the necessity of them in order to teach the truth in a short easy way, and to defend the young and inexperienced against the various errors and heresies which abounded. This remark applies more particularly to those called the Nicene and the Athanasian creeds, which were made longer and more exact than the other, because of the heresies or false systems which arose. For instance, while it was quite enough at first to make the early Christians say, I believe in Jesus Christ," yet when men arose who denied the Lord to be truly of the nature of God, the Church was obliged to say and teach more in the creed, and to add these words,

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"begotten of his Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, being of one substance with the Father." In the same way it was obliged to be enlarged in other parts to guard against other heresies. But still, notwithstanding that we have the larger and more perfect creeds, the Church has clung to the use of that smaller one called the Apostles' creed; and it occurs more frequently in our public worship than the other two. To some persons it may appear very simple; but this is its great beauty. The simplicity of its words and of its truths is its greatest excellence; for still it contains, when rightly understood, and believed from the heart, all the truth which is necessary for man's salvation. When using this, we are not obliged to think of controversy, of error, of heresy; of the storms and wars of words in which the Church has been engaged through so many centuries. We have in this the old original belief of the most ancient and the most peaceful times, that which was professed by the lips of the first converts when they were baptized, in days when faith was simple, but sincere; not clouded by difficulties or doubts, but deeply cherished in the heart. was this they believed with the heart unto righteousness, and made confession of with the mouth unto salvation. For this they were compelled to die at the stake by their heathen persecutors; and by this they overcame death, and were saved for evermore. They employed it constantly in public devotion, not so much as a defence against errors and heresies, as an act of worship and adoration to God, and profession before angels and men of the truth they believed.

It

It does not seem that it is enough valued at the present day in this light which has been last mentioned. It ought to be taken up and pronounced by the congregation as a kind of boast (if the word may be so used),a boast of those truths which we know to be able to save the soul. We speak it before the world, both seen and unseen, in the presence of God and his Church, but also before Satan and his angels, as the challenge under which we are able to contend with him and to overcome him. "This is the victory which overcometh the world"

(and also the prince of this world), "even our faith." Every time, then, that the devout and humble believer makes use of this simple and sublime form of doctrine, he should remember that he is raising the banner of his salvation, proclaiming as it were by a trumpet his great contest with the powers of evil, and exercising the use of the weapons by which alone he can be victorious. He is thanking God for putting into his hands so noble a standard, and he is professing his certainty of victory while fighting under it. This is one of its great uses, although but one; for according to the feelings and necessities of the Christian it will be found useful in various other ways.

I will add lastly the testimony of an aged and most honoured Christian, who lately went to his rest after a long life of unwearied usefulness and ardent piety, and who in a page of his diary has made this remark: "I thankfully record my increasing gratification in the use of our inestimable Liturgy in public worship. The Apostles' creed is sometimes a rich treat to me. The simple but full succession of passages, recording the blessed Jesus' divinity, incarnation, sufferings, death, burial, resurrection, ascension, reigning and coming to judgment (which form the second article in that brief composition); these, especially, are at times almost overpowering; and I feel ready to exclaim, Lord, it is enough!'

E.

CHURCHWARDENS.

MR. EDITOR,-I went to a village church a few Sundays ago, and was much pleased with the manner in which the gentleman read the prayers; he seemed as if he was really praying them, and as if he was earnestly desirous of the things that he was praying for. And the people seemed to know what they were doing, and what they came to church for; they joined in the prayers and the answers, and they were on their knees at the proper times, and all seemed very solemn and sacred. I hope, too, that I shall be the better for what the gentleman said from the pulpit; and he seemed very earnest that