withstanding the care of this provident governess, when young, had learned by degrees to drink wine, having been sent to draw it for the use of the family. By what method was she delivered from this snare? Thou providedet for her a malignant reproach from a maid of the house, who, in a passion, called her drunkard. From that moment she gave up the practice for ever. Thus didst thou prepare a cure for her evil practice, by the malevolent railing of another, that no man may attribute it to his own power, if his admonitions of another be attended with salutary effect.*

After her marriage with my father Patricius, she endeavoured to win him over to thy service by the amiableness of her manners, and patiently bore the injuries of his unfaithfulness. She still looked for thy mercy, that, learning to believe in thee, he might become chaste. His temper was passionate, but his spirit benevolent. She knew how to bear with him when angry, by a perfect silence and composure; and when she saw him cool, would meekly expostulate with him. Many matrons in her company would complain of the blows and harsh treatment they received from their husbands, whose tempers were yet milder than those of Patricius; whom she would exhort to govern their tongues, and remember the inferiority of their condition. And when they expressed their astonishment, that it was never heard that Patricius, a man of so violent a temper, had beaten his wife, or that they ever were at variance a single day, she informed them of her plan. Those who followed it, thanked her for the good success of it; those who did not, experienced vexation. Her motherin-law, at first, was irritated against her by the whispers of servants. But she overcame her by mild obsequiousness, insomuch that she at length informed her son of the slanders of those backbiters, and desired that they might be restrained. Thus she and her mother-in-law lived in perfect harmony. It was a great gift which, O my God, thou gavest to her, that she never repeated any of the fierce things which she heard from persons who were at variance with one another, and was conscientiously exact in saying nothing but what might tend to heal and to reconcile.

I might have been tempted to think this a small good, had I not known, by grievous experience, the innumerable evils resulting to society from the contrary spirit, by which men extend mischief like a pestilence, not only repeating the words of angry enemies to angry enemies, but also adding what never had been said; whereas the human mind should not be

⚫ I could not prevail with myself to pass over altogether this and a few more circumstances of domestic life, which follow. Let the piety and prudence which they breathe compensate for their simplicity. To a serious mind they will, perhaps, appear not only not contemptible, but even, also, instructive,

B

content with negative goodness in such cases, but should endeavour to promote peace by speaking what is good, as my amiable mother did, through the effectual teaching of thy Spirit. At length, in the extremity of life, she gained her husband to thee, and he died in the faith of Christ.

It was through thy secret appointment that she and I stood alone at a window facing the east, in a house at the mouth of the Tiber, where we were preparing ourselves for our voyage. Our discourse was highly agreeable, and, forgetting the past, we endeavoured to conceive aright the nature of the eternal life of the saints. It was evident to us, that no carnal delights deserved to be named on this subject; erecting our spirits more ardently, we ascended above the noblest parts of the material creation, to the consideration of our own minds, and passing above them, we attempted to reach heaven itself, to come to thee, by whom all things were made. There our hearts were enamoured, and there we held fast the first-fruits of the Spirit, and returned to the sound of our own voice, which gave us an emblem of the Divine Word. We said, if a man should find the flesh, the imagination, and every tongue to be silent, all having confessed their Maker, and afterwards holding their peace, and if he should now apply his ear to him who made them, and God alone should speak, not by any emblems or created things, but by himself, so that we could hear his Word, should this be continued, and other visions be withdrawn, and this alone seize and absorb the spectator for ever; is not this the meaning of,-"Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord ?"* At that moment the world appeared to us of no value and she said, "Son, I have now no delight in life. What I should do here, and why I am here, I know not, the hope of this life being quite spent. One thing, only, your conversion, was an object for which I wished to live. My God has given me this, in larger measure. What do I here?" Scarce five days after, she fell into a fever. A brother of mine who was with us, lamented, that she was likely to die in a foreign land. She looked at him with anxiety, to see him so grovelling in his conceptions, and then looking at me, said, Place this body anywhere; do not distress yourselves concerning it." I could not but rejoice and give thee thanks, that she was delivered from that anxiety, with which I knew she always had been agitated, in regard to a sepulchre, which she had provided for herself, and prepared near the body of her husband. I knew not the time when, by the fulness of thy grace, she had been rid of this emptiness, but I rejoiced to find this evidence of it. I heard, afterwards, that while we • Matt. xxv. In Rev. xxi. 23, the same sublime thought is described under the medium of sight, which here is conveyed under the medium of hearing.

were at Ostia she had discoursed with some friends in my absence, concerning the contempt of life; and they expressing their surprise that she did not fear to leave her body so far from her own country, "nothing," said she, "is far to God; and I do not fear that he should not know where to find me at the resurrection." She departed this life on the ninth day of her illness, in the fifty-sixth year of her age, and the thirty-third of mine.*

SCOTTISH MISSIONARY SOCIETY.

CORNWALL.

Extract of a Letter from the Rev. Mr. Waddell, dated Cornwall, January 25, 1837.

REVIEW OF THE MISSION FOR THE PAST YEAR.

DURING the past year, the favour of God has been displayed towards us, perhaps more remarkably than in any former period of our Mission. In the increase of the Church in all its branches, and its steady progress in religion, we have had a pleasing proof of the blessing of God. Seventy adults have been added to the congregation, making the number now 650, whose children amount to 334, making a total of 984 persons under my pastoral care. Of the adults, 300 are married. Of those still living in concubinage, the most part have promised, and some are preparing, to be united in holy and lawful wedlock. I design dealing very strictly with these during the ensuing year, and probably may have to cut off some from our body. The number is not great, considering that such was the state of them all a few years ago. It is a happy thing to see the influence which Scriptural principles have exercised in changing the unholy customs of the country; and we have good ground to hope that they will prevail more and more, till sins which are now boldly committed in the face of day, will, as ashamed, hide their heads. The remainder, in number nearly 300, are single old and young people, and widows. Of the married, 18 couples have entered into that honourable state during the past year, making

In what follows to the end of this book, the author gives a very amiable picture of the filial affections, tempered by piety and resignation, which he felt on this occasion, not indeed without a mixture of the superstition of praying for the dead, which was growing in this century. In him the evangelical spirit, however, predominates extremely, even while he is indulging the superstitious. But let it suffice to have given this general account.

the whole number, joined by myself since I came here, 256. The members' class consists now of 170 adults, including communicants and candidates for communion, together with their children, being an increase of 50 during the year. Of these, 86 are in full communion. I am sorry to add, that 4 who had enjoyed the fellowship of the Church were suspended on the last occasion,-two for violent temper and conduct, and two for immoralities among their children. Agreeably to the design of baptism, the training up of the children to God, we maintain as watchful a care over them as over their parents. If the misconduct of the children be traceable to the parents, either as authorizing or not using proper means to prevent it, we hold the parents responsible, and deal with them accordingly: If the parents can clear themselves, we deal with the children, by admonishing them before the session or the Church; and if they be grown up, and these means fail, by cutting them off from the Church. By their baptism, the children are under the care, and subject to the discipline of the Church, from the earliest period of their lives. In the instances in which we have had occasion to exercise this part of our duty, it had a good effect. The persons were under the age that they could direct themselves, and above that in which they would submissively hearken to their parents. My admonition before the elders of the Church seemed to shame and melt them, and they who before had been hardened then wept. The parents were glad for the assistance and support thus afforded to them, and the elders were impressed with the benefits to be derived from the government of the Church, and the importance, in all respects, of their early consecration to the Lord.

During the past year, 21 children and two adults have been baptized. The small number admitted by myself and brethren to this ordinance, has surprised some persons at home, and, I believe, requires a few words of explanation. We find the people all baptized already. The law of the island required that every master should get his people christened, as they called it, and the parish clergy were bound to christen them. This they did universally, though, for the most part, without any previous instruction; and, generally, a whole estate's people, 100 or 200 children or adults, would receive the ordinance at a time, without examination or distinction. Improper, and almost profane, as such proceedings are, we are not clear to invalidate the ordinance, by baptising those over again who come to us for instruction. It is, with a few

exceptions only, the children who are born since their parents became members of our Church, that are left to us to receive to that sacrament. Besides, our strictness is another reason. Not a few flinch from the course of instruction and examination which we judge necessary before administering the ordinance, and being very desirous of it, go elsewhere. This evil, I trust, will gradually diminish, and finally disappear.

The Sabbath-day congregations are invariably good, varying in number from 600 to 700. The house is seldom otherwise than quite full. Their seriousness and attention to the preaching of the word is very encouraging. Almost every Sabbath after sermon I distribute tracts. I brought out a great number of these little silent instructors when I came first to the island, but found I could make no use of them, there being none who could read them. Now, however, I find their use; the persons who can read are eager to get them, and, we may hope, do not read them in vain. The broad sheet tracts on coloured paper were literally devoured, and are now seen ornamenting the walls of the negro houses wherever I go.

A Temperance Society has lately been formed in the congregation, and already numbers 145 members. I know many more who will join. It is not yet a month old. By this time next year, the number, I expect, will be three times greater.

I must not forget to mention the increase of prayer-meetings in the congregation; I think there are above 20. They meet in the elders' houses every Sabbath morning at sunrise, and also one or two evenings of the week. Daily family worship in the members' houses is also increasing among them.

My out-stations, where I preach at stated times on weekdays, are Barrett Hall, Carleton, Easthams, Running Gut, and Spring. There are some others where I preach, as I have convenience, in the negro houses, on their own half Friday, being unable to get any other opportunity from the managers, as Grange Pen, Lilliput, Blue Hole, and Rose Hall. They are all affording me increased satisfaction. Indeed, I have resolved to visit all my people in their own houses, at their own time, and to have a system of family visitation here, as ministers have at home. This will bring me to all the estates around me, whether the proprietors and overseers like it or not; but I shall endeavour to afford no ground of complaint in these domiciliary duties.

I have two day and evening schools in operation, one here