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PITHY MAXIMS AND SELECT SENTENCES. 169

chief merit of this version consists in its preserving the expressions of the prose translation. The following lines of the 18th Psalm have been long and generally admired:

"The LORD descended from above,

And bow'd the heavens most high;
And underneath his feet he cast
The darkness of the sky.

On cherubs and on cherubim

Full royally he rode;

And on the wings of mighty winds, "/
Came flying all abroad."

PITHY MAXIMS AND SELECT SENTENCES. No. III.

(Compiled from ROLLIN and others, by S. DUNN.)

BIAS, one of the seven wise men of Greece, said, "Those who busy themselves in vain knowledge, resemble owls that see by night, and are blind by day; for they are sharp-sighted in vanity, but dark at the approach of true light and knowledge." He added, "Undertake deliberately; but then go through. Speak not hastily, lest thou sin. Be neither silly nor subtle. Hear much; speak little and seasonably. Make profession of God every where." His country being invaded, and the people fleeing with the best of their goods, some one asked, why he carried none of his ? "I," said he, "carry my goods within me."

PERIANDER said, "Pleasures are mortal, but virtue immortal. In success, be moderate; in disappoint ment, patient and prudent. Be alike to thy friends in prosperity and in adversity. Peace is good; rashness dangerous. Live worthy of praise; so wilt thou die blessed."

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ANACHARSIS, a Scythian, was a great philosopher. CRESUS and HANNO offered him large sums of money; but he refused them, answering, "My apparel is a Scythian rug; my shoes the hardness of my feet; my bed the earth; and my sauce hunger."

DEMOCRITUS said, that "he had lived to an extraordinary age, by keeping himself from luxury and VOL. VI.

excess; "that"a little estate went a great way with men that were neither covetous nor prodigal;" that luxury furnished great tables with variety, and temperance little ones."

DIOGENES was angry with Critics that were nice as to words, and not as to their own actions; with Musicians, that could tune their instruments, but could not govern their passions; with Astrologers, that have their eyes in the sky, and look not to their own goings; with Orators, that study to speak well, but not to do well; with covetous men, that take care to get, but never use their estates. One time, discoursing on the nature, pleasure, and reward of virtue, the people not regarding what he said, he began to sing, at which every one pressed to hear; whereupon he cried out, in abhorrence of their stupidity, "How much more is the world in love with folly than with wisdom."

AN ACCOUNT OF THE SHORT LIFE AND HAPPY DEATH OF SARAH BROWN.

SARAH BROWN was born at Heaton, near Bolton, April 14, 1807. When about six years of age, her father, at her request, took her with him to the Methodist Sunday-School, at Edgeworth. It was there that the light of truth first clearly shone upon her mind; and she was convinced that without a renewal of heart, by the grace of God, she could not be saved. She withdrew into secret, and prayed that the LORD would have mercy upon her soul. From that time to the day of her death, she maintained the habit of private prayer. Soon afterwards, she became a regular scholar in our School at Bolton; where she paid a marked attention to the admonitions and instructions of her teachers. In 1817, a very powerful religious influence was experienced by many of the children. She was one of the happy number thus graciously visited. For several months she earnestly sought the peace of God; and in October, 1818, there is reason to believe, she was blessed with a comfortable manifestation of the divine favour, through JESUS CHRIST.

MEMOIR OF SARAH BROWN.

171

From this time, her uniformly Christian conduct, both in the school, at home, and in the neighbourhood, excited the approbation of all who knew her. When about thirteen years of age, she went from home to learn a business; and although placed among persons who were strangers to experimental religion, she still retired three times a day, for reading the Scriptures, and for private devotion. When at home, it was her practice to take the younger children of the family, once or twice daily, into a private room, for the purpose of serious conversation and prayer.-On one me morable occasion, while she was pleading with the LORD, in earnest supplication, a number of persons assembled under the window, and, as they were listening to her prayer, not less than six of them, it is affirmed, were convinced of sin, by the blessing of GOD on what they heard, and soon afterwards became members of a Christian Society.

At her Class-meeting on the 18th of Feb. 1821, she expressed a strong confidence in the LORD; but much lamented her unfaithfulness, and manifested a strong desire to be fully conformed to the image of CHRIST. I gave her suitable advice, and enforced the necessity of being prepared to meet death, intimating that perhaps it might be the last time we should meet together in this world. Little, however, did I think that it was the last opportunity which SARAH BROWN would live to enjoy; but so it proved. She was seized by the scarlet fever on the 27th of February. Two days afterwards, she said to her father, "O the goodness of GOD! Glory be to his name, he has greatly blessed my soul: I have not felt CHRIST SO precious to me, for many weeks past." Her mother coming in, she with much seriousness and affection exhorted her not to be satisfied without a clear evidence of her interest in CHRIST, and to meet her at the right hand of God. She gave also to her eldest brother the same advice. The next morning, she desired her father to pray that GoD would fully cleanse her heart from sin, and prepare her for the inheritance of the saints in light. She soon after exclaimed, "O the goodness of GoD! he

has again been filling my soul more and more, with his heavenly love." She requested her father to unite with her in returning thanks to GOD for his mani fested loving-kindness. He asked her if she desired to recover: she replied, "I have no will at all respecting it; my will is lost in the will of GoD!" He said, "If you might have your own will, which Would you choose?" She said, "I would rather depart, that I may be with my LORD and SAVIOUR."

She spent much of the following night in prayer. Early in the morning of Saturday, March 3d, her father entered the room. She sweetly smiled on him, and begged that she might sit up, and embrace him before she departed. She affectionately placed her arm round his neck, and her head upon his breast, and died in that posture; lisping the praises of her REDEEMER, as long as she could speak. Thus died this eminently pious girl, aged only thirteen years and ten months. She possessed a fine and amiable mind. It was her delight to make herself useful in the family, and to do all the good she could to all around her Many circumstances, highly interesting, have been omitted for the sake of brevity.

JOHN ENTWISLE.

JUVENILE OBITUARY.

DIED at Newark, October 6, 1821, aged 17, EDWARD ROBINSON. Such were his obedience and attention to his parents, and so steady and correct was his general conduct, that his father does not recollect any instance in which he had been undutiful to them, or in which he could lay open sin to his charge. A character like this promised much joy to his parents: but God saw it meet that he should early sicken and die. About six months before his death, symptoms of declining health having appeared, his father requested me to visit him; and I saw him many times during his sub. sequent illness. On my first visits, his state of mind appeared to be somewhat peculiar, yet such as might perhaps be expected from his former manner of life; for having, in some sense, "lived in all good con

OBITUARY OF EDWARD ROBINSON.

173

science before GOD," he felt no sense of condemnation, no particular fear of death, nor any doubt of obtaining everlasting life. Such, for some time, was his state; nor did he see his need of an interest in the SAVIOUR. As I knew that "by the deeds of the law no flesh living can be justified," and that there is but one way whereby adults can be saved, that is, by faith in CHRIST; and as, from his father's account, I knew of no particular outward sins that I could charge on his conscience; I endeavoured to explain to him the spirituality and extent of the law of GoD, and wished him to compare the thoughts and intents of his heart with its requisitions. I trust this was not done in vain; as,`after some time, he began to discover that all was not right with him, and to desire the salvation of the LORD. En a little while he saw, like the man mentioned in the gospel, 66 men as trees walking;" and clearer light being communicated, he became fully convinced that he was a sinner before Gon, and that he could not be saved but by obtaining an interest in the LORD JESUS CHRIST. He now earnestly sought the LORD; but did not fully obtain the desire of his heart until a short time before he died; when the LORD most graciously visited his soul, and filled him with peace and joy in believing; and also so strengthened his body and his voice, which before was scarcely audible, as to enable him to speak of the goodness of Go with an energy which astonished and affected all around him. He now sent for two young men employed by his father, and being raised up in bed, addressed one of them with extraordinary strength and fervour; exhorting him to seek the LORD, reminding him that this was the counsel of one on his dying bed, and assuring him, how happy he felt in the prospect of dissolution; while his feeble hand, which he had a few minutes before requested his mother to move for him, he now, with apparent ease, moved up and down, as he enforced the advice he gave. He then addressed the other young man, who is pious, charged him to go forward in religion, and reminded him of the prize which Christians have in view,6-ą

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