3. Christ in heaven takes a deep and peculiar interest in His people on earth, and makes their cause His own.-What an important and interesting period in the history of our world were the thirty-six years which the Son of God spent upon its surface! That comparatively short interval had crowded into it a series of events, the nature and character of which render it more worthy of remembrance than all the rest of the six thousand years of human existence! What a privilege to have been one of its inhabitants then, to have breathed the same air which passed the lips, and revived the heart, of the Divine Man! But the earth, as a whole, was not honoured by the presence of Jesus. He abode in one country, and never crossed its limits. Palestine was that highly-favoured spot: therefore Palestine is, on this account alone, independently of those other associations connected with it, the most distinguished portion of the globe. What a privilege to have been a Jew, and a dweller in the country at that particular time! But, to ascend the scale of privilege, how highly blessed were they who followed our Lord from place to place, heard His beautiful sayings, and saw Him perform His wonderful works! More blessed still were those on whose behalf His mighty, beneficent power was displayed. We envy that age, that nation, and those men. They were peculiarly honoured. They saw a day, and were favoured with an opportunity of grace and goodness, which none other did or had. On them rested a brightness and a glory unknown elsewhere, or to any others; and, could they have fully realized the distinction, how grateful and happy must they have felt?

But, we have to narrow the circle of privilege still further. We have not yet reached the centre-that innermost circle, where the brightness is most intense. Beyond the public life of Jesus, there is another sphere-His inuer private life; and those admitted to this sacred sanctuary we consider the most blessed of all. Those few who shared the private friendship of Jesus, had conferred on them a privilege, whose greatness we cannot estimate a privilege, which they, in the fulness of their joy, could not estimate themselves. This sphere of the life of Jesus resolves itself into three circles, each of which possesses points of loveliness and blessedness peculiar to itself. First, we think of His private life at Nazareth, that calm period of his infancy and youth, in the bosom of the family of Joseph, What a happy household must that have been, with the Son of God for one of its members! There He grew, day by day, in wisdom and stature,

increasing in favour both with God and man.' How precious were those hours spent by His mother's side! how thrilling to her those expressions of endearment, with which He saluted her! Then how hallowed that shop in which the God-man wrought as a common tradesman, and sanctified labour with an undying greatness. Imagine the evenings spent in the little cottage after the day's work was done-the heavenly conversations-the holy smile of Jesus-His serene face lighted up with beauty and sunshine, save, perchance, when the dark shadow of His great life-work crossed His spirit, and covered, for a moment, His countenance with sadness and anxiety. Here met, in highest perfection, the holiest feelings of domestic life-that holiest and best form of human existence. Happy household! the loveliest that earth ever contained, which the sun ever looked upon, or the stars watched over in the darkness and silence of night!

The second circle in this inner private life of Jesus, is the time spent alone with His disciples. What a sacred 'upper room' was that at Jerusalem, where He retired with the twelve, to converse with and cheer them, after a long day of toil, interspersed. probably, with insults and persecutions! What singularly delightful and profitable communings must these have been, when, with John leaning on His bosom, and the others gathered close around Him, the door shut, and the bustling world excluded, He discoursed to them of His mission, and the work which they had to do; when that great heart of His, bursting with love and tenderness, poured forth its treasures, and the radiant countenance shone with a double lustre! O ye poor fishermen of Galilee! did ye then know the depth or the height, the length or the breadth, of the privileges ye enjoyed? Did ye know that then ye were in possession of a boon, the greatness of which no royal court ever dreamed of, far less experienced; that to you was granted a bliss, which was denied to all besides; that in your little upper room there dwelt a peace and a purity of other than an earthly kind, and that in those quiet hours spent with your Lord you were within the precincts of the better land?

The third and last circle in this inner sphere of the Saviour's life, is to be found at Bethany, in the small household of Lazarus and his two sisters. Thither, He frequently repaired to spend a quiet period, and refresh His human spirit with the joys of affection and friendship. We often think these visits were among the sweetest experiences of our Saviour's life, and that many an hour of toil and suffering was

forgotten in the cottage at Bethany. Here, He found a more congenial atmosphere than elsewhere, and could indulge, more than in any other place, those finer emotions, with which as a man He was furnished. But, what a privilege for these three relatives, thus to be visited by the Saviour, to hold friendly familiar intercourse with the incarnate Word, to seek and receive advice and consolation from His lips, and to be the honoured instruments of ministering to His enjoyment, and soothing His burdened soul, while toiling for the salvation of a lost world! 0, for a glimpse into the nature of those affectionate communings beneath that lowly roof among the olive trees at Bethany! O, for one look at the little circle with Jesus in the midst, and a serene heavenly joy beaming on every face! Surely, those were in an enviable position, who were permitted to hold such close, intimate converse with Jesus of Nazareth, the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world.'

Great, indeed, was the privilege of those who attended the Saviour, speaking to Him, and enjoying His friendship in the days of His flesh. But the glimpses within the veil' teach us, that His followers have this same privilege now; that, while the men of the world are passed by with a cold look from the Master on the throne, His eye rests complacently and kindly on every, even the humblest, follower upon earth; that He takes a deep interest in all that concerns them; that He sympathizes with every trial they encounter, and marks every wrong they receive; that He gives strength to sustain the great battle of life: and those who endure unto the end, come off victorious-conquerors, and 'more than conquerors, through Him that loves them.' What a consolation is this for you, O struggling Christian! Your griefs may be deep, your temptations great, your battle very sore: but look up to Jesus standing on the right hand of God, regarding you with an eye of tender solicitude; see Him imparting grace and sympathy to succour you, and rejoice that your Redeemer liveth. Armed with the knowledge of the transcendent fact, that Christ in heaven is your Friend and Guardian, you become bold and courageous; you have a support which the world knows not of; and while men may wonder at your triumphant endurance of their cold neglect or scorn, forget not to comfort your heart by singing, in low notes, that song which you alone can sing, 'Who shall separate me from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Nay, in all these things I am more than a conqueror,

can

HAGAR IN THE WILDERNESS.

'Let me not see him die,' she cried, My own, my only one;

The bread is gone, the water's dried. And who shall save my son?

P.

"In bondage I have brought him forth,
In bondage and in shame;
And though proud Sarah's brow be wroth,
A mother's right I claim,-

The right to soothe him when he weeps,
His glistening eyes to dry;-

The right to kiss him while he sleeps,
But not to see him die.

'No bread for him, no crystal stream

To quench his parching thirst;
Lord, let me find this woe a dream,
Or let me die the first.'

And, when her bosom's anguish'd prayer,
Was answer'd from the skies,—
And, when the well was sparkling fair
Before her doubting eyes,-

The mother kiss'd her gasping boy,

And thought of him alone; His thirst was quench'd, and in her joy She thought not of her own.

Hon. D. G. Osborne.

GEORGE SANDFORD.

OUR February Number contained a brief Notice of the little work, entitled George Sandford.' Not having space for Extracts, which we were desirous to furnish, we promised to give one soon. That pledge we now redeem; though, for want of room, not so fully as to meet our views or wishes.

It may be proper, however, to premise, that the hasty strictures previously penned were not meant to apply, indiscriminately, to all engaged in the Drapery Business, or in any of the other Trades mentioned. Not a doubt is entertained by us, that in each of them are many, who act habitually according to the strictest integrity; many who, in their secular transactions and their general modes of procedure, are influenced, some by high moral, others by religious, principle. Among Drapers, Grocers, Tea and Coffee Merchants, in various localities, easy were it for us to name the men, long known to ourselves, of whom, morally as well

as mentally, we form as high an estimate as of those employed in any other calling or profession. In their honesty, their veracity, their kindliness of disposition and excellence of character, we place the utmost confidence. None are more worthy of being disignated upright and honourable men. Of what is mean or disreputable, what is inconsistent with fairness or rectitude, they have as clear a perception, and as fine a sense, as any of their fellows. The practices alluded to, several of them have, in our hearing, denounced in terms of virtuous indignation and scorn: and our thorough persuasion is, that from what they have so severely condemned in others, they themselves are scrupulously careful to abstain. To such persons, we beg most distinctly and emphatically to state, our animadversions have no reference what

ever.

But there are those, and it is to be feared their number is not small, to whom they apply in all their force. Such may take offence at the freedom of our remarks: that we cannot help, as their querulousness we do not mind. It is high time that the evils complained of were corrected. In order to this, they require to be exposed. The remedy, to a certain extent, and in divers ways, is in the hands of the Public. In every department of business, there are men of sterling probity, of liberal spirit, and generous heart. These abhor the wages of unrighteousness;' and are above descending, for the sake of lucre, to the expedients of cunning craftiness. To such, irrespectively of their religious sentiments, or Denominational peculiarities, let due countenance and support be given, by the marked and steady favour of a patronizing community. Then soon would the vicious systems in question, with their manifold tricks and frauds, fall into dissuetude, if not through the influence of principle, yet on the score of ungainfulness. Let all be made to feel, that 'honesty is the best policy,' and even pecuniary interest, in the absence of a better motive, will enforce the general

observance of its rules.

Not to enlarge, we present an Extract. Writing to a Friend in the Country, George Sandford thus speaks of the nature and hardships of his situation in the Metropolis:

'With an avaricious cruelty, it absorbs every energy of the body and the mind, demands every moment of time for itself, and excludes all possibility of mental elevation or spiritual progression. It seems as if the London idea of life is an incessant devotion to business, the continued round of which should only be interrupted by a few hours' sleep, and the short time necessarily required to swallow food. All attention to the mind or the soul seems excluded from the metro

politan brain. Our hours of business are from seven in the morning till ten or eleven at night, often later; indeed, during the busy season, we have seldom more than five hours' sleep, all the rest of the time being occupied that our business should require such hours, in the shop. You will naturally be surprised as you must conclude that the time at which customers visit the shop cannot extend to that period: neither is it; it is very seldom that we serve an individual before nine o'clock in the morning, or after nine at night; but owing to a cruel and thoughtless custom which prevails among the ladies, especially those of the higher ranks, we are kept working long before and after those hours. When silk dress, every piece of the description must a lady comes to the shop to purchase, say a

be shown her; and if she chooses at all, it is only after having examined and turned over every one. Thus a great amount of time is lost to the salesman then, and probably a half-hour's work prepared for him in the evening, after the shop is shut, as the goods must be carefully folded and put in their proper place, which can only be done after the shop is clear of visitors. It is impossible, considering these hours, and the incessant attention required, that I can have either opportunity or ability for intellectual enjoyment. This system has also a tendency to produce physical debility, and induce disease. The air of London, even out of doors, is far from being so clear and pure as that enjoyed in the country; while in the shop, impregnated as it is with gas and other impurities, it is peculiarly destructive to the animal system. Even while asleep, we breath a tainted atmosphere, and inhale exhausted air. Our contains six beds, three on each side of the attic room is occupied by twelve persons, and room, leaving a narrow passage in the middle. Our chests are thrust under the beds, which are constructed on the principle of "posters," without tops, and serve us for seats when at any time we are enabled to spend a leisure minute. Imagine twelve persons sleeping in an attic room, the ceiling of which is not more than five and a-half feet from the floor at its highest part, the air of which, besides being too limited, is of the worst description, and you will have some idea of the lodgings Do not suppose that ours is worse than any of drapers' assistants in the city of London. other. One of my shopmates, who has been in several situations in the city, informs me that many are much worse, and few better. This wretched state of things is caused principally by the anxiety of masters to amass as much wealth as possible in as short a time as possible; yet does the present construction of our commercial machinery, and the movement of our social constitution, singularly defeat the object in view.

'All the accumulated amount of physical and mental disadvantages which I have just enumerated might be removed, not only without loss to the master, but their removal would be decidedly in his favour, even in a commercial point of view. The present course is a ruinous one, both for employers and employed; and as every system of error

and oppression is destined to perish, it must, sooner or later, pass away. The time will come, when public attention will be turned on the miserable condition of our class, and the unsparing censure it must express will cause a change of an ameliorating tendency to pass over it. Yet I believe the first movement towards this important change must emanate from the young men themselves. The secrets of the prison-house must be disclosed by the immolated victims, and an appeal for redress made by the immediate sufferers. The influence of public opinion, and its power to work its will, is great; and in the present matter it lies with itself to remove the evil. However ignorantly and unintentionally it has caused the operation of this long train of evil, there can be no question that the public is its real author. The only way to save the young draper from the above physical evils is, to afford him shorter hours of labour, and healthier lodgings. The former lies with the public, the latter with the master; and as both would be benefited by the exercise of that power with which they are invested, it becomes alike their duty and interest to put it forth. You may be inclined to ask, in what way the social system is affected by the present state of things. It requires more than a superficial glance to discern this point; but I am convinced, that after a short examination, you will see it can be clearly established. What is society, and of what is it composed? Is it not the mass of human population who inhabit the land, made up and composed of single individuals? Every individual has a sphere of operation, and a certain amount of work to perform towards that community of which he forms a part. If that work is not performed, the whole combination suffers. Let us now bring this acknowledged theory to bear on the subject before us. Do the drapers' assistants occupy any sphere in the social economy? In one respect they do, so far as they are the medium of supplying the public with a necessary article. But what assistance do they render in the way of regenerating or intellectualizing the world? Positively none. Their minds are enfeebled by incessant labour, and have neither time nor opportunity to expand into original effort for the benefit of mankind. How very few of the great and mighty minds which have illumined the earth with their brightness, and shed a flood of ameliorating beams on the path of suffering humanity, have sprung from this class! They have neither adorned the walks of art nor science with their productions, The sparks of their genius have never brightened the horizon of the social hemisphere, neither has the fire of their energies burnt with a purifying power on the public heart. Their influence is no more than that of the machine which performs a mechanical revolution in obedience to the will of its owner, and is valued only on account of its physical power. The mind, the soul, is held in bondage-it is lying waste, dormant, all but dead. Thus society is suffering at least a negative loss on account of this degrading system; and was this its only result, it is sufficient to demand

its interference and influence. The remedy is in their own hands. Let it be an established rule, to make purchases at reasonable and proper hours, so that those who stand behind the counter may be released from their tedious occupation at an early hour in the evening, and be enabled to devote a portion of their time to mental culture, and to the forwarding of those philanthropic movements which are designed and destined to bless this world. Nor would such a shortening of business hours be injurious to the commercial interests of the employer. The change for which I here contend does not necessarily imply the performance of a curtailed amount of business. The longhour system is not demanded as absolutely necessary to accomplish or overtake the work involved in a commercial establishment. Were this even the case, no employer is justified in compelling his servants or assistants to perform so much labour. Let him employ additional hands, to an extent which would allow the work to be done in proper and reasonable time. But such an increase of workmen is not necessary. Were our retail establishments furnished with double their present complement of salesmen, there would be little difference in our hours of labour. Owing to the present cruel and exacting custom indulged in, especially by ladies, of pricing and examining articles which they have no intention of purchasing-but merely to gratify curiosity, and while away a part of precious time-the attention of the salesman is often taken up for hours together in useless and profitless attendance.

'I have thus shown that it is the interest both of the public and the employers to improve the condition of those of our class; but I take a higher ground than this, and assert that it is their duty. Even though pecuniary and interested results flowed from its operation, the advantages thus gained could not for a moment justify a course productive of such evil. What right have the public to oppress and degrade down to the level of beasts of burden those possessed of all the feelings and faculties of humanity? It is the interest of the slaveholders to keep their sable brethren in bondage, but will any one on God's green earth dare to justify the inhuman traffic? How, then, can a system of slavery and oppression, which is productive of no earthly benefit, be defended and perpetuated? I cherish the hope that soon both the black and white victims of Man's inhumanity will be for ever emancipated, and long for the time when every shade of oppression and wrong shall be removed from our world.'

THE CABINET.

CHRIST'S HUMAN NATURE.

THE nature assumed is 'the seed of Abra

ham,' 'the seed of David,' 'the seed of the Woman,' the Word, the second Person of the Trinity, being made flesh, that is to say, God's own Son being 'made of a

woman,' and so becoming truly and really 'the fruit of her womb.' Neither did He take the substance of our nature only, but all the properties also and the qualities thereof; so as it might be said of Him as it was of Elias and the apostles, that he was a Man 'subject to like passions as we are.' Yea, He subjected himself, 'in the days of His flesh,' to the same weakness which we find in our own frail nature, and was compassed with like infirmities; and, in a word, 'in all things was made like unto his brethren,' sin only excepted. Wherein yet we must consider, that as He took upon Him, not a human person, but a human nature; so it was not requisite He should take upon Him any personal infirmities, such as are madness, blindness, lameness, and particular kinds of diseases, which are incident to some only, and not to all men in general; but those alone which do accompany the whole nature of mankind, such as are hungering, thristing, weariness, grief, pain, and mortality.Usher.

" CHRIST ALL IN JUSTIFICATION. THROUGH Him alone we can have peace with a holy God. By Him alone we can have admission into the presence of the Most High, and stand there without disinay. In Him alone can God be 'just,' and 'justify the ungodly.' We must come in the name of Jesus; standing on no other ground; pleading no other plea than this, Christ died on the cross for the ungodly,' and I trust in Him.-The name of Jesus is the only name by which we will be let through the gate of eternal glory. If we come to that gate in our own names, we are lost. If we come in the name of Jesus, it is a passport, and Shibboleth, and we shall live.-The mark of the blood of Christ, is the only mark that can save us from destruction. When the angels are separating the children of Adam in the last day, if we are not found marked with that atoning blood, we had better never have been born.-Ryle.

THE POOR MAN SPEAKETH OF THE STARS.

THE stars that shine in the deep blue sky,
And spangle the crown of the great Deity-
How I love to gaze on their glittering light,
In the still sad hours of the voiceless night!
Or are they worlds to whose distant fires,
The soul departs, when a life expires?
Or are they beauties to mortals given,
By the kind, unsparing hand of Heaven?
Whatsoe'er ye be, ye gems of the sky,
You tell me of Him who dwells on high!

THE TWO THIEVES ON THE CROSS. WITH the same opportunities on the cross, these dying men arrive at directly opposite issues. The one is saved; the

other is lost. The one weeps tears of penitence; the other deepens his guilt, and darkens his doom. The one is taken to glory; the other is left to share the fate of blaspheming fiends. The Saviour's cross serves the twofold purpose of salvation and destruction, as the conduct of the individuals determines it.-J. L. Aikman.

SELF-CONFIDENCE RENOUNCED.

WHEN once a man is convinced of the and finds that all his own resolutions and deeply-rooted depravity of human nature,

efforts in the use of the most suitable

means (however necessary in their place)

are not sufficient to overcome it, or to produce true holiness, without the supernatural agency of the Holy Spirit; such a conviction must have a tendency to make him renounce all confidence in his own abilities, to keep him from an undue deand to direct his views immediately to pendence even upon the appointed means, God himself, as the cause of all the saving benefit which he expects from them.-A. M'Lean.

PICKED-UP PEARLS.

The words of the wise are as goads.' IF our religion has not changed us, the sooner we change it the better.

If we would not fall into things unlawful, we must sometimes deny ourselves in things lawful.

RELIGION must be our business: then it will be our delight.

It will cost something to be religious: it will cost more not to be so.

WE may expect God's protection so long as we keep within God's bounds. WHAT pleases God should please us, because it pleases Him.

MANY have lost for God-none have lost by Him.

THEY that fear God least have the greatest reason to be afraid of Him.

IF sin be not bitter, Christ cannot be

sweet.

GOD will give us nothing for our own sake and he will deny us nothing for Christ's sake.

GOD has no sons that are unlike himself.

IF good men are sad, it is not because they are good, but because they are not better.

WHEN a child of God thinks he can go alone, he is nearest falling.

Christ did not die for sin, that we might live in sin.-Mason.

THOMAS GRANT, PRINTER, EDINBurgh.