Not only is it important that the truths presented be adapted to convert the soul, but also, that every thing be avoided in the manner of presenting them, which has any tendency to prevent the desired result. That this suggestion is not needless, will be apparent on the slightest reflection. How often has the whole power of truth been destroyed by something unhappy in the manner of presentation. To prevent such a result, attend diligently to the following suggestions:

1. Avoid a hasty, heartless manner. This is, in fact, a contradiction of all that you say, and is so felt to be. For it really implies that you do not believe what you utter. How is it possible to believe that a dear friend, or, in fact, any one, is exposed to endless perdition, and sincerely to exhort him to flee to Christ, without indicating great earnestness and deep feeling? And if you speak in a hasty or heartless manner, as if it were a point of mere theory, or as if you did it merely from a sense of duty, to escape the goadings of your own conscience, how can you expect any other result than to chill all feeling and destroy all effort?

2. Avoid a gloomy and forbidding manner. Religion is, in fact, the rational and delightful service of God; and it is possible to rejoice in God and delight in His government, and at the same time to be moved with the deepest compassion for the souls of the impenitent. This state

of mind will indicate itself, at all suitable times, by great tranquillity and cheerfulness, and by self-possession even in the midst of the deepest feeling. This produces on the minds of the impenitent a conviction, that so far as love to God is concerned, you are perfectly happy, and that your sorrow is caused by a sincere and deep interest in them, and a painful certainty that they must be lost for ever if they do not repent. Nothing tends more powerfully than this, to convince the sinner of the desirableness of religion, and to arouse him to earnest effort. On the other hand, a severe and morose manner excites a prejudice against the whole subject, and leads him to conclude, that to become religious is to abandon all pleasure, and involve himself in the deepest gloom.

3. Avoid a harsh, imperious spirit. It is possible to speak as if the sinner had offended against you instead of against God; and to produce the impression, that it is in virtue of your own authority that you urge him to repentance. The fact is, however, that he has sinned, not against you, but against God, and that you yourself are a pardoned sinner, pleading the cause of God. In spirit, therefore, be bold, earnest, and decided; urge all the claims of God: and yet, do it with so much kindness, tenderness, and humility, as to leave the full conviction on his mind, that it is God's cause which you plead, and not your own.

4. Avoid all vague and general remarks on the importance of religion, that tend to no definite result. If you attempt to converse, be faithful and thorough. In many general remarks, the sinner will agree with you; and if you say no more, and bring him to no point, you may even produce a self-complacent feeling in his mind, as if in many important respects he had made some progress towards religion. Leave no such impression. Do not perform your work slightly. Make the truth so clear that he cannot avoid seeing his condition and character, and call on him at once to repent and obey God.

5. Be self-possessed, so as not to be confused, or thrown off your guard by a harsh or hasty reply. Meekness is invincible; but the moment you permit your passions to be excited, you are stripped of all your power. With equal caution avoid being drawn from your purpose by vain and needless discussions. It is desirable, no doubt, to remove all difficulties as it regards doctrine or duty, which are sincerely and honestly felt. But it is easy to discriminate between such a desire of instruction and an effort to escape the pressure of duty, by resorting to doubtful disputations. Avoid being diverted from your purpose by any such effort, and be only the more earnest to hold up truth and press obligation. If any matter of doubtful disputation is suggested, manifestly tending to no good result, avoid it, and direct his attention to some plain and practical duty, such as repentance, faith, family prayer, &c., concerning which there can be no doubt.

6. Study diligently the character of those with whom you converse, and adapt your remarks accordingly. Endeavour also to gain access to them at the most suitable times, and in the most favourable circumstances. In this way your remarks will have their utmost power. On the other hand, if you proceed without discrimination, their whole power may be lost, and even reaction be produced. Avoid, however, mistaking timidity for prudence; and do not, through a pretended fear of doing hurt, criminally neglect all opportunities to do good. Sincerely desire to save souls, and seek wisdom by earnest prayer, and abundant occasions of judicious conversation will daily be presented by the providence of God, and you will be aided to use them aright.

7. Let your whole life be such as to add power to your exhortations. It is an old maxim, and no less true than old, that actions speak louder than words. The real state of a man's mind will develop itself by his habitual mode of living. If he is a man of God and watches unto prayer, it will be seen and felt. If he is sincerely desirous of the salvation of souls, all must and will perceive it. The face of Moses shone when he came down from the mount, and all saw and felt that he had been with God. So, if you dwell much on eternity, and meditate daily on the value of the soul, and earnestly desire the salvation of men, it will show itself in a thousand numberless ways, in your looks, manner, tone, spirit, and all the intercourse of life. And after all, a holy life is the strongest possible argument that can be used to convince the impenitent of the truth

of all you say. On the other hand, nothing strikes such a deadly chill over their minds, when beginning to feel deeply the realities of eternity, as a light, worldly, or irreligious deportment in those who at other times, have used words of great apparent earnestness in urging them to flee from the wrath to come. few light words or heedless actions may be enough for ever to ruin many souls. Let Christians be aware of this, and take heed. Many eyes are upon them; their actions, words, and even looks, are watched; they are a spectacle to angels and men, and the influence of their conduct is to be felt,

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not only in time, but during the long ages of eternity. Let them then think daily on the hour when the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements melt with fervent heat, and they and all their fellow-men shall stand before the bar of God, and receive their final award of joy or woe. Let them gaze on such scenes till they feel their reality, and then let them answer the inquiry of an apostle: "What manner of persons ought we to be in all holy conversation and godliness ?" The decision will not be doubtful; and as they decide, so let them act.

PROTESTANTS are too apt to view Popery as a thing of the past, or of the distant, rather than as a living evil at their doors, and in their midst. Rightly to understand it, the shrine must be penetrated; we must look at the system as it really exists, and listen to the voice of its accredited teachers; then we shall become the subject of feelings which were never felt before, and which no time will efface. A highly intelligent friend of ours did so a few weeks back at Ramsgate, and has sent us the following outline of the sermon :

PURGATORY.

Part of an Address delivered at St. Augustine's Church, Ramsgate, October 14th, 1860.

"The church is infallible; no other church claims this authority; consequently, if the church is infallible,

whatever this church teaches is infallible. This church teaches you there is such a place as Purgatory, which is consistent with reason and with Holy Scripture. We find in the Apostles' Creed there is a communion of saints, or a communication of holy things. The church is divided into three parts:-The church triumphant in heaven; the church militant on earth; and the church suffering in Purgatory. They cannot assist us, the time is past, as the Scripture says,-but we can assist them by our prayers. It is a place where souls are detained until they have satisfied Divine justice. If the souls are quite pure, they go to heaven; if quite unholy, they go to hell; but there is a middle class, they go to Purgatory for venial sins. We find many proofs in Holy

Scripture. Moses disobeyed Almighty God, and Almighty God gave him a temporary punishment, but afterwards forgave him his sin. The prophet Nathan sinned, and God gave him a temporary punish

ment; but we know He forgave him his sins. Now, temporary punishment for sin must be in some place; it cannot be in heaven, it cannot be in hell, therefore it must be in some place, and that must be the place of which Christ speaks,-the prison of which Christ says, 'No one shall come out until he has paid the uttermost farthing.' And we are told in the Scripture that 'It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from their sins.' This is in the book of Maccabees, and we have the same authority for that book being canonized as any other book of Holy Scripture, it was decided by

several councils. And the Scripture speaks of men being saved 'so as by fire,' and of works being tried by fire; the words hay, stubble, &c., mean the souls of men; those who are not consumed, those whose works stand, shall be saved. The Holy Scriptures tell us that a Christian falls seven times a day, and it is for these venial sins, which do not destroy the grace of God in the soul, for which souls suffer in Purgatory."

Such is the stuff, which in the latter half of the 19th century is being preached throughout the length and breadth of the British Isles! The Popish system is one enormous lie! In every one of its main features it insults reason, and contradicts Scripture; and yet that system is much more in favour with the great ones of the earth than the system of the holy apostles.

THERE are now existing in Great Britain one hundred and fifty-nine companies, seventeen of which were established before 1816; seventytwo between 1816 and 1844; and near eighty between 1844 and 1860. It has been estimated that the sums of insurance in the offices of the United Kingdom exceed £200,000,000 sterling. This is a great fact, but were the people duly alive to its importance that sum would be

trebled.

"An assurance upon any life, effected in any office," says De

Morgan, "is not only a private but a public benefit.” Amidst "the battle of life"-the corroding cares and bustling anxieties of this weary work-day world-how few consider the importance of life assurance! It is a subject which deserves the serious attention of the young or old, bachelor or benedict; and it has been justly remarked by the celebrated Dr. Franklin, "that a policy of life assurance is the cheapest and safest mode of making a certain provision for one's family." Yet, strange to say, although life

assurance has been greatly extended during the last few years, there is not more than one person out of one hundred and fifty of this immense community whose lives are assured; and it may therefore be inferred that there are but few persons who are acquainted with the subject, or justly appreciate the blessings it is capable of diffusing. To the young, its advantages are inestimable; as for an annual payment, in itself most trifling, a young person may secure himself against penury and want in old age, or even in middle age he may obtain the amount for which he assured, and thus place himself in comfort and independence. To the middle-aged or old, life assurance becomes the safest and most profitable method of providing for those they may leave behind; for by an annual premium of £3 per cent. and upwards, they may realise a future independence, or at all events secure themselves against the frigid grasp of sterile poverty. To the married of every grade, life assurance is an absolute and moral duty; let not poverty be the plea of inability, since for little more than one penny a day a person aged

twenty-five may secure £100 at his death; or, for the veriest trifle more, may participate in the profits of the office.

It unfortunately happens that no man believes he is likely to die soon, so every one is much disposed to defer the consideration of what ought to be done on the supposition of such an emergency; and while nothing is so uncertain as human life, so nothing is so certain as our assurance that we shall survive most

of our neighbours. But it may, indeed,, occur to any that the chances are very nearly balanced as to his dying at forty, and his reaching the uncertain age of forty-five; and that even five years may make a considerable difference in the amount of savings he may bequeath to his family. The determination to lay by often creates the power to lay by, and the first effort is the most difficult. Let it always be remembered that in putting by something for a rainy day, a man purchases a certain amount of mental tranquillity, and thus he may actually extend his life by providing against the results of his death.

THE subject of this memoir was born on the 17th of February, 1835. She never enjoyed the blessing of good health. She was naturally high-spirited, and independent of control, which was a source of great anxiety to her widowed

mother, who has shed many tears and offered many prayers for her wayward child. Possessing a high standard of morality, and despising everything mean and despicable, she could not be persuaded that she needed a better righteousness than