"Their pains, and groans, and deep distress
Aloud for mercy call;

But ah! must truth and righteousness
To mercy, victims fall ?"

So spake the friends of God and man,
But none could light afford;
The highest angel could not scan
How man could be restored.

The Son of God attentive, heard,
And quickly thus replied:
"In me let mercy be revered,
And justice magnified.

"Behold, my vital blood I pour,

A sacrifice to God;

Let angry vengeance now no more
Demand the sinner's blood."

He spake, and heavn's high arches rang,
With his immortal praise ;

The morning stars together sang,
In heaven's exalted lays.

The heavenly hosts fell on their face,
And tuned their harps of gold,

O'ercome with boundless, sovereign grace,
'Twas more than heaven could hold.

O'er heaven's high walls the angels crowd,
The tidings to proclaim;

"Glory to God," they shout aloud,
"Good will to sinful man."

Let all the nations hear the sound,

And raise their triumphs high,

For Jesus has a ransom found

For sinners doomed to die.

When the Almighty forms the souls above,
He mates them for the marriage bond of love,
And sends them down to earth on this condition,
That each may choose to please the disposition.
Some choose with caution, yet are much deceived,
Such ills arise as were not once believed.

If God thus pained them, we must all suppose,
That thorns are better for them than the rose,
Too much delight in partners may destroy
The trust in God alone for sacred joy.

Happy the youth who finds a partner kind,
And never sees a cause for change of mind,
But many—many wear their lives in pain,—
The silken cord becomes a galling chain,
Complaints and murmurs fill each others' ears,
Sometimes in rage—sometimes in sadder tears.
When Satan gets between a man and wife,
But little joy is known in married life;

One frowns—the other pouts and both complain;
Each greatly injured, as they each maintain.

Each feels sad woes and sees the faults of th' other:
The faults they swell, their own defects they smother.
But some are highly blessed in married life,
And live secure from jealousy and strife.
The matrimonial precepts they obey,

And bear each other's burdens night and day.
If, in some evil hour, one falls to blame,
And passions rise, and kindle to a flame,
The other bears, and cooling water throws,
And brings the contest to a happy close.
Each feels defects within, and reasons thus:
"My partner faulters, I myself am worse,"
Two wrongs will quickly make a pleasing right;
Two rights will ever live in strife and spite.

Hymn composed and sung on the occasion of the dedication of the meeting-house, in Cheshire, on Christmas day, 1794.

Thus saith the eternal God;

I sit upon my throne,

The heavens I spread abroad,
The earth I made alone,

The heavens are my exalted seat,
The earth I tread beneath my feet.

What house did e'er contain
An omnipresent God?
Attempts are all as vain

To bind my holy word,

All worlds, surrounded by my hand,

Move round at my supreme command.

The temple did contain

The ark, that sacred chest ;
My presence there was seen;

It was my settled rest.

No more I give the Jews commands,

Nor dwell in temples made with hands.

Yet will I look upon
The Man of my right hand,
Mine own eternal Son

Shall in my presence stand;
Tho' he is God, yet he was poor,
Lowly in heart, tho' full of power.

In him the God-head dwells,
All fulness there is found:
Spring up, ye sacred wells,

Let grace and truth abound.
The temple once my presence blessed
But was not my abiding rest.

Another house I have,

The church is where I dwell,

The humble poor to save,

The contrite free from hell,

The glory of these latter days

Shall far exceed the temple's praise.

Lord, we have met to-day,

To worship thee above;

Descend from heaven, we pray,—
Fill every heart with love.

We dedicate this house to thee;
'Tis all thine own, so let it be.

Preserve this house from fire,
From thunder, wind and storm,
Nor from this place retire,
But every bosom warm.

We leave our praise with thee,

Thou great, sublime, eternal Three.

SHORT AND UNCONNECTED SENTENCES.

Luke has given a short biography of Paul, and Paul in his epistles to the churches has stated his manner of life, both before and after his conversion, together with his afflictions from without and within, also of the doctrine he preached, and what success he had; but is it likely that he carried those epistles about for sale? Did he ever close the meeting by saying, "My hearers, I have here with me a number of books of my own composition for sale?" and yet, in these days, it is practised. For a man to write his own history, and publish it while he is living, is rather delicate. In respect to his knowledge of the facts he relates, he is the best judge; yet his diffidence may incline him to keep back the best, and expose the worst, or his vanity may prompt him to cover his defects and extol his virtues. He who publishes his own history or creed for sale, and then puts on the robe of a travelling preacher, (to diminish the expenses. of travelling,) in order to peddle his books, is attempting to use God's stream to turn his own mill.

The man who is seeking after wisdom, to know what the mind of the Lord is towards him, and what God requires him to do, according to rule and plumb-line, is not so much delighted with flowery language, and pomp of diction, as with rich and interesting ideas. A discourse, either from the lips, or pen, that is full of fine words, and void of ideas and solemn facts, will afford him, at most, but secondary pleasure. May we not conclude, that in the triumphant state, to which humble Christianity tends, the most important ideas and wondrous events that ever existed, will be elucidated in language all sublime by all the heavenly hosts. No dispute about grammar, in that state of existence, when "the Lord shall turn unto the people a pure language," that they may all serve him with one consent. "The preacher sought to find acceptable words, and that which was written was upright, even words of truth."

The mechanical Christian may be zealous in his forms, and lavish in censuring wrong and applauding right; but is never found lamenting the pollution of his heart, or honestly confessing the mis-steps he has taken.

AN elegant carriage—a plated harness—a poor horse with his hip-bones sticking up a fine coat—a small stock of borrowed divinity—a lofty address—a careless spirit—a love of popularity—and a thirst of filthy lucre, are not the best qualities for preachers.

It is said of Dr. Gill, that in theological controversy," he was never attacked and overcome—he never assailed a strong hold, but he demolished it." In the civil and military departments, the same may be said of Andrew Jackson.

In God we live, move, and have our "being. Is it possible then for men to possess a power, independent of God, by which they can generate thoughts and change desires? If not, on what principle can men be accountable for their works? One side.

Questions generally have two sides to them: and something can be said on both sides; indeed, some, like a cube, have six sides; yet there are many disputers who will never allow that the arguments of others have any weight in them: of course, they are always right, in their own view, and always triumph. Like a gander, if you chase them ever so far, with the club of solid reason, they will turn and crow as if victorious.

Query. Are the Protestants in France as much abused by the Papists as the Papists arc in Ireland by the Protestants?

The lawyer studies to find out what is, and if he be a real statesman, he studies what ought to be. And if he is invested with power, and is a business man, he will be daring and persevering to bring things where they ought to be.

The human mind is so flexible, and surrounding objects and passing events so varying and illusive, that the man who never changes his opinion, is either very weak or very stubborn. Let a man write his creed of faith, or a treatise on any subject, and lay it by in his secretary. Let him look it over once a year, and every time he examines it, he will wish that some sentiments or expressions had been differently stated—perhaps some parts expunged.

Words are so indefinite in their meaning, and so variously used by speakers and others, that candor teaches us to let every one put his own meaning upon his words.

The Upas is a tree in the island of Java, so poisonous that neither man, beast, nor vegetable can live within three leagues of it.

The Samiel is a noxious wind, that sometimes blows in the deserts of Arabia and Africa, that kills man or beast with the quickness of lightning. But Jesus the Saviour is a "tree of life" in the midst of the paradise of