tation the sun beaming on his own broad acres. Then when the sun was parching the neighbouring lands, with self-complacency he beheld gentle showers moistening his own priviledged field. Already he counts his anticipated gains, and triumphs in his own consummate skill. But now comes the harvest. The garners of those who depended alone on Jupiter overflow with super-abundant produce: the barns of the farmer who trusted in his own wisdom are empty!

Let us, who are always ready to find fault with the weather, and farmers who are ever prone to grumble, read the moral of this fable in the late and present gracious seasons: gracious truly!—for of late years the land springs have been failing all over the country, and no doubt, according to the prediction of Sir John Herschel, if we had not experienced just such a long rainy period as we have, vast numbers of wells would have been quite dry, and a grevious dearth of water must have been the consequence. But that very rain at which we murmured, has proved a blessing, for springs, which for years had ceased to run, are now become flowing streams, and, as an agricultural friend writes me from Lincolnshire, "had we had the usual March winds, which 'set in like a lion,' the land, over saturated as it was, would have become as hard as pavement, and could not have been prepared in time as a seed bed; but the Lord, in mercy, shut up the roaring winds, and in infinite wisdom, in their stead, sent sharp frosts by night to dry the land, and warm rays by day to pulverize the clods: the fields soon teemed with the busy husbandmen, their wives and children, the seed is in the ground, and famine averted, for never did the earth appear in a more promising condition." Let us then, individually, and as a nation, "Praise God from whom all blessings flow."

And as the land has been dealt with, so let us pray that God the Spirit may, in like manner, by the sharp afflictions wherewith he sometimes afflicts us, and the alternate sunshine of his love, so pulverize our stony hearts, that they may receive the good seed which the Lord's labourers are now so assiduously sowing, and which, once implanted and watered by the dew of Grace, shall, in His good time, yield an abundant produce, to be gathered into the garner of our heavenly Father, when the Lord of the Harvest shall put in his sickle. April, 1840. UBIQUE.

A WORD ON THESE HARD TIMES.

(For The Village Churchman)

If, my reader, you dwell in a manufacturing town or village, I can scarcely hope that you do not know the meaning of the word Chartist. Ah! I see you are looking more eagerly on this page because that word is here-but stop a few minutes, for I have no new outbreaks to disclose, but I want you to try and discover what it is that makes a Chartist, what is the beginning of Chartism. I live in the midst of them, and after thinking about them all the winter, after seeing their families, and pitying their misery, I fancy I have discovered the secret: is it not discontent? Discontent is at the root of Chartism. The poor man is discontented with his wages, with his employer, with his parish, with his country, and with its government: but this is not all, he becomes discontented with his home, with his wife, and with his children; he thinks that he could make things better, that he could make things equal, but, alas! he remembers not that if every thing were made in perfect order by some master hand, that moment sin would creep in and spoil the beautiful plan. Are you, my reader, young?-do you hear your fellow-workman complaining?-does he ask you to come with him to a meeting, and there find a remedy for all these evils? Before you consent to listen to those exciting speeches, ask yourself-am I now contented? If I am, why should I go and begin to feel that worm which must gnaw at the root of all my happiness even in this world? Discontent spreads like the cholera : is one in a family dissatisfied, another brother soon becomes so-then the father, nay, that quiet female catches it, and she who worked so willingly from morning until evening for her happy family, now feels something which says-why should I slave so why should I not have a servant to do my work as well as Farmer B.'s wife or the squire's lady?"

I know too well you have real difficulties to contend with; you can sometimes scarcely get bread to eat it is impossible to get decent raiment to put on this winter has been more trying than the last, there are your children crying for bread, and you cannot get work. Alas! my

friend, the tale is too true, and thousands have to tell it, and retell it. Your visitor has given her little all, and has only sympathy to bestow; but which is the happiest room! that where all these hardships have to be borne, and where there is a contented spirit, or that wretched cottage, where discontent

is the only chord ever struck? But come and see for yourselves-turn up the next street-there is a cottage by itself; look through the broken window, there is an aged man; what book is that upon his knee? It is his Bible: he has been for ten years the almoner of the Benevolent Society, under the good clergyman, but now through the "changes and chances of this mortal life" the society has no funds left and he has only 3s. a-week for himself and his sick aged wife: when he is hungry and has nothing to eat, hear what he says when for the first time he tells me of his destitute condition-" but if I never have a bit of bread to eat from this moment, if I am prepared to meet my God it matters not." Oh! I think, my reader, I need not tell you that poor man knows how to live contentedly, as well as talk of it. But we must not stop here, for we can learn a lesson next door: here is dirt and misery, the mother pale, the children seem starving, the frame is going, no want of work, but where goes the money? Instead of being received with thankfulness, and spent with care, the greater part goes to the beer-shop. Well may discontent reign at home! Now let us think about a cure for this spirit: you will find one if you read your Bible-take it down from that shelf, and find such a receipt for your case. "To the poor the gospel is preached;" and there is not one sorrow or one care that sin has brought into your dwelling, but you will find a healing balm for it there. Seek to love the Saviour there offered to sinners, that you may have a friend to go to every night, a guide to lead you by day; he is a friend you may trust, and you will see that He himself had not where to lay his head when he dwelt on this poor earth, so that he has felt all your wants, and he can teach you by his good spirit what is the meaning of that word so little understood by sick and poor, by high and low-CONTENTMENT.

VOX POPULI-VOX DEI.

MR. EDITOR,

How often is this old saying brought forward by a certain class of persons; but how often perverted and abused! Your village churchmen, perhaps, should be informed that the above are Latin words, signifying "The voice of the people, is the voice of God." To shew that the voice of the people is not always the voice of God, I would recommend them to attend to the following observations, founded on facts

-these facts are derived from truth, and the truth is to be found in the " Vox Dei"-the Bible. They have reference to our blessed Saviour and our insulted God. 1. Let them search the Scriptures, and they will find the truth recorded thus, in words written as plain as a sun-beam can make them clear: St. Matt. xxi. "And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way, others cut down branches from the trees, and strewed them in the way, and the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David, blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest." So far so well, and how cheering and encouraging are these words, proceeding as they did from the "Vox Populi."

2. Let us now turn over one or two leaves of the book. The scene becomes changed. In a very little time the "Vox Populi" is thus heard speaking: St. John xix, &c. "Pilate is sitting in the judgment seat, he says to the people, Behold the man-behold your King: but they cried out-We have no king but Cæsar, away with such a fellow from the face of the earth, for he is not fit to live-away with him-away with him-crucify him-crucify him. Pontius Pilate saith, Why what evil hath he done? I see no fault in him at all. But they cried out so much the more, away with him-crucify him-crucify him."

So much for the Vox Populi-the voice of the people! So much for popular applause! How fickle-how uncertain-how fleeting not to be depended upon! Is it not like a broken reed, which if a man leaneth on and trusteth unto, it runneth into his hand, and pierces it through and wounds it! Let us then think less and less of this Vox Populi, and let us believe in and trust to the Vox Dei, not placing any confidence in the voice of the people, for the Vox Dei is true-unchanging, unchangeable, enduring (for ever; but the Vox Populi is deceitful, false, changing, changeable, unenduring. Is it not brittle as glass, bitter as gall, biting like a serpent, stinging like an adder?

I am, Mr. Editor, with great respect, yours,

April 20, 1840.

A COUNTRY CURATE.

HINTS ON POPER Y.-No. IV.

(For the Village Churchman.)

OUR last hint, Christian friends, referred to the Council of Trent, and the first article of its creed.

The papists would have us believe in all traditions of the Church as apostolical, and binding on our consciences as from God. Against this we protest, and surely with good reason. The second Article of the Trent Creed refers to "Holy Scripture." "I also admit the Holy Scripture according to that sense, which holy mother Church, whose right it is to judge the true meaning and interpretation of the sacred Scriptures hath held and doth hold; nor will I ever receive and interpret it but according to the unanimous consent of the holy Fathers." Having begun with ecclesiastical tradition, they go on with Holy Scripture. The Church is said to be its interpreter. God says, the Holy Spirit speaking through the true Church, is its interpreter. By holy mother Church they mean their own Church. They assume that they are right, and every one else wrong; yet this is the very point to be proved. But now for a matter of fact: concede the right of interpreting Scripture to belong to them, have they ever exercised it for the good of the people? Have they ever told us what their interpretation is that we may judge for ourselves? Now it is a well known fact, that the Romish Church never have given a generally authorized interpretation of Scripture, so that all who run may read. They have played the dog in the manger for ages: they are like a great man in a village, who should say that the right of selling all the corn was his, and yet never sells one shilling's worth to his starving tenantry. To act thus as to the bread of this world would be an accursed thing; how much more so as to that bread of eternal life, on which the soul must live for ever, or die for want. But this image may be answered by their saying "Oh! but we don't act thus cruelly; our priests instruct us in God's Word, and they interpret Holy Scripture for the poor in the name of the Church." Grant this, but then how is the poor man to know that he has it explained to him, according to the unanimous consent of the holy Fathers? How is he made sure that his priest does that which the Church says is necessary to his salvation? Moreover, ean it be done at all? Is there such a thing as the unanimous consent of the Fathers? Then again, who are "the Fathers?"