and soul-destroying commandments of the men of this world that lieth in wickedness,-they only will escape being rooted out. They abide in Christ, the true vine, and are living branches of Him. They look to Him for the nourishment of his Spirit, and receive it, and bring forth fruit to his glory. They deceive no one into a false religion, because it is perfectly plain that the fruit they bear is that of Christ their leader; all men must know them for his disciples, and they shall stand perfectly clear and perfectly righteous at the judgment, being clothed in his merits and renewed by his Holy Spirit. As to persons like the Scribes and Pharisees, plants not planted by your heavenly Father,—our Lord here speaks awfully concerning them: "let them alone." O my family, if any of you are "blind leaders of the blind," which you may be without being teachers by profession, if you, in wilful ignorance of the truth as it is in Jesus, and being wilful strangers to the renewing influences of the Holy Ghost, are leading others into your dark and sinful ways, you, and those whom you have led into darkness and sin, will be at last let alone by the Holy Ghost, who, in departing altogether from you, will give you up to your own bad imaginations, and you will fall into the ditch; leaders and led, teachers and taught, will alike be swallowed up in the lake that burneth for ever.--A Layman. THOUGHTS FOR THE NEW YEAR. OUR life is fleeting, short, and frail, It may be far, or may be near, The day which ends our lite; Lord, ere it comes, that awful day, Grant me to know thy Word and way My days are number'd; grant me grace That I in heav'n may find a place, BELIEVE! WHEN darkest clouds o'er all that's earthly low'r, Believe! When countless foes thy troublous path surround, When a dear friend from thee and life is ta'en; When death shall grasp thee in his iron hand,- Believe that death will not be death to thee: Believe and hope that heav'n that world may be→ Believe! J. J. TAKE HEED TO THYSELF. DEUT. iv. 9. THESE few impressive words of warning were addressed to the Israelites by Moses, while yet they were in the wilderness, on the borders only of" that pleasant land" which was the lot of their inheritance. They were some of the last words of him, who, having been appointed and prepared by God to lead his people through the desert, was now about to "rest from his labours," and enter that heavenly Canaan of which the promised land was but a type. But though these warning words were spoken to the Israelites, they are, like every other Scripture, written for our instruction, upon whom the "ends of the world are come;" and often, with varied meaning, may they sound in our ears, to awaken us from sloth, to stay us from passion, to keep us watchful in temptation, and ever fervent in prayer. On what we are 1 apt to call great occasions, that is, when some uncommon event befals us,—we are less likely, perhaps, by God's grace, to neglect our own hearts; but when there is nothing extraordinary to rouse us to attention, but "all things continue as they were," then let us especially "take heed" to ourselves. Do we deem it scarcely necessary to do so, the path is so smooth, the occurrences which mark it so common, the "still voice" of conscience so small as hardly to stir our minds at all? Alas! we are then in danger of being deceived into carelessness by that which most requires watchfulness,-the small sins (if such an expression may be used) which deaden our spiritual life, almost unperceived,-which are allowed to get the rule over us too often, without a real struggle and prayer for the mastery. How often, how apt are we to take heed to others rather than to ourselves. When thus tempted to neglect our own vineyard, let these words sound in our ears: "Take heed to thyself," for "every man shall bear his own burden." Whatever sin most easily besets us, wherever we are most apt to come short in our duty, there we must especially "take heed." As a "cottage visitor," I would name particularly a fault into which I have observed my cottage friends, as well as the rich, very apt to fall, and about which they do not seem to feel, as they would on other occasions of sin. It is talking evil of their neighbours, low scandal, and gossip, which is injurious to the character of their neighbours. They seem to think there is no sin in speaking of sin, forgetting the apostle's words, "It is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret;" forgetting, too, that they often "speak lies" in this way, not intending to do so, but because they are ignorant, and, in fact, do not know positively whereof they affirm. "Take heed to thyself" would be a good and wholesome admonition to those who are so apt to take heed to their neighbours. Let us also call to remembrance "many like words" of Him who is " a greater than Moses," even of Him of whom Moses was a type. "Take ye heed, · watch and pray." "Take heed, and beware of covetousness;" and, in the affecting words of the Commina tion Service, "Therefore, brethren, take we heed betimes, while the day of salvation lasteth." P. S. L. KING WILLIAM THE FOURTH AND QUEEN ADELAIDE. AN account has lately appeared in some of the newspapers, of the Bishop of Newfoundland's first voyage of visitation along the southern and western coasts of his extensive diocese. Among many humbling and affecting instances of spiritual decay and destitution therein disclosed, the state of the Church in Great Placentia is one which appeals strongly to the members of the English Church, and all loyal Englishmen, for succour and sympathy. The church was erected through the liberality and personal exertions of Prince William Henry, afterwards His most gracious Majesty King William. His Royal Highness was stationed on the coast of Newfoundland, in the ship "Pegasus," in the year 1785, and while at Placentia he very earnestly persuaded the inhabitants to erect a church for the members of the English communion there. He not only subscribed himself 50%. by way of example and encouragement, and to testify his own sincere and anxious desire, but he visited and exhorted the people from house to house, and did not suffer his interest and exertions to flag till he saw the good work in progress, and available for public worship. His care and concern for the church did not cease on quitting Newfoundland, for two years. after he was pleased to send out from England a complete and handsome set of communion plate, bearing his royal arms and name, and expressly appropriated to the use of the inhabitants worshipping there. The church, so erected, has since fallen into decay; and as soon as this became known to the QueenDowager, her Majesty directed the following letter to be written by her secretary to the secretary of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel. 66 Witley Court, Jan. 3, 1846. "My dear Sir,-A memorial has lately been received by the Queen-Dowager from the Bishop of Newfound land, in which, among other mournful details of the spiritual destitution prevailing in his diocese, was described the dilapidated condition of the church at Placentia; the original erection of which was mainly accomplished by the personal exertions, as well as the pecuniary contribution of his late Majesty, King William IV., when, at an early period of his naval career, he commanded the 'Pegasus' on the Newfoundland station. The memorial stated that the church had so far fallen into decay as to be unfit for use; that Divine worship had therefore been long suspended, and that the pious and charitable designs of the king towards the inhabitants of the place and neighbourhood, have been in consequence consequence wholly frustrated. "The Queen-Dowager perused this sad and disheartening statement with much pain; her Majesty, therefore, influenced by her well known feelings of affection and respect for the memory of the late king, and by an anxious desire to secure for Placentia and the adjoining districts the spiritual benefits which his Majesty laboured so earnestly to obtain for them, has honoured me with her commands to communicate through you to the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel and to the Bishop of Newfoundland, her intention of defraying the estimated expense of restoring and fitting up the church at Placentia; that expense is calculated to be 300l., for which sum, in obedience to her Majesty's gracious directions, I now enclose to you a cheque, with the request that the amount may be remitted to the Bishop, to be placed at his disposal for the purpose which I have specified. "It would naturally be her Majesty's wish that the present gift should be unaccompanied with any stipulation; but her Majesty feels that she should imperfectly discharge her duty both with reference to the king's memory and the interests of religion in Newfoundland, which it was his Majesty's object to promote, if she did not request from the Society and the Bishop an assurance that some arrangements shall be made, by the appointment of a missionary, which shall secure the future regular performance of Divine service in the |