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ANECDOTES AND SELECTIONS.

Anecdotes and Selections.

OLIVER CROMWELL and the INQUISITION.-Thomas Maynard, consul of the English nation at Lisbon, was thrown into the prison of the Inquisition, under pretence that he had said or done something against the Roman religion. M. Meadows, who was then resident, and took care of the English affairs at Lisbon, advised Cromwell of the affair; and, after having received an express from him, went to the king of Portugal, and, in the name of Cromwell, demanded the liberty of consul Maynard The king told him it was not in his power; that the consul was detained by the Inquisition, over which he had no authority. The resident sent this answer to Cromwell; and, having soon after received new instructions from him, had again audience of the king, and told him, that, since his majesty had declared he had no power over the Inquisition, he was commanded by Cromwell immediately to declare war against it. This unexpected declaration so terrified the king and the Inquisition, that they immediately determined to free the consul from prison; and immediately opened the prison doors and gave him leave to go out. The consul refused to accept a private dismission; but, in order to repair the honour of his character, demanded to be honourably brought forth by the Inquisition. The same Maynard continued many years after under the same character, in the reigns of Charles and James II., and lived at Lisbon till he was about eighty years old, without any molestation from the Inquisition. This story was well known to all foreign merchants, who lived at that time, and many years after, at Lisbon.

THE GOSPEL PRECIOUS.-Oh, precious gospel! Will any merciless hand endeavour to tear away from our hearts this best, this last, and sweetest consolation? Would you darken the only avenue through which one ray of hope can enter? Would you tear from the aged and infirm poor the only prop on which their souls can repose in peace? Would you deprive the dying of their only source of consolation? Would you rob the world of its richest treasure? Would you let loose the floodgates of every vice, and bring back upon the earth the horrors of superstition or the atrocities of atheism? Then endeavour to subvert the gospel; throw around you the firebrands of infidelity; laugh at religion, and make a mock of futurity; but be assured, that for all these things God will bring you into judgment. I will persuade myself that a regard for the welfare of their country, if no higher motive, will induce men to respect the christian religion. And every pious heart will say, rather let the light of the sun be extinguished than the precious light of the gospel!

ANECDOTES AND SELECTIONS.

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COME TO THE FATHER.-God hath put arguments into our mouths to plead with him for mercy. 'Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price." Rise, fellow-sinner, he calleth thee; go to the Lord, and when thou goest, tell him, Lord, thou hast bid me come, and behold, here I am. I come, Lord, at thy word; I come for a little water, I come for thy wine and thy milk. I have brought no price in my hand, but thou hast bid me come without money and without price. Though I have no grace, yet at thy word I come for grace: though I have no Christ, I come for Christ; though I cannot call thee Father, yet being called I come to thee as fatherless; "with thee the fatherless find mercy." If I am not thy child, may I not be made thy child? Hast thou not a child's blessing left yet to bestow upon me? Thou hast bid me come, come for a blessing; bless me, even me also, O Lord. Wherefore hast thou sent for me? Shall I be sent away as I came? I came at thy word; do not say, Begone out of my sight. I cannot go away; for whither shall I go from thee? "Thou hast the words of eternal life."

Some sins

PRIDE IN THE HEART.-Of all the evils of our corrupt nature, there is none more universal than pride: it was certainly a principal mover of the first sin. Augustine says truly, "That which first overcame man, is the last thing he overcomes.' may die before us; but this hath life in it as long as we live. It is in the heart of all, the first that lives and the last that dies; and it has this peculiarity about it, that whereas other sins are fomented by one another, this feeds even upon virtues and graces, as a moth that breeds in them, and consumes them, even the finest of them, if it be not carefully looked to. This hydra, as one head of it is cut off, another springs up. It will secretly cleave to the best actions, and prey upon them; and therefore is there so much need that we continually watch, and strive, and pray against it.

WHERE ARE YOUR EARS?-A musical amateur of eminence, who had often observed Mr. Cadogan's inattention to his performances, once said to him, "Come, I am determined to make you feel the force of music; pay particular attention to this piece." It was played. "Well: what do you say now?" "Why, just what I said before." "What! can you hear this and not be charmed? Well, I am quite surprised at your insensibility. Where are your ears ?" "Bear with me, my lord," replied Mr. Cadogan, “since I too have had my surprise. I have often from the pulpit set before you the most striking and affecting truths. I have sounded notes that have raised the dead. I have said, 'Surely he will feel now;' but you never seemed charmed with my music, though infinitely more interesting than yours. I, too, have been ready to say, with astonishment, Where are his ears ?"

THE FIRESIDE.

"UNCLE TOM'S CABIN" is the name of a new book written by a christian lady in America, describing scenes in the slave states. The tales are founded on facts, and are all told in such an interesting manner that all who read them are delighted. In proof of this, ten editions were sold in the United States in fourteen days, and since it arrived in England thousands have been sold-at various prices, from sixpence in penny numbers to ten shillings in a gilt volume with beautiful engravings. We never read a book of the kind with such delight, and we say to every one of our readers, buy a copy of "Uncle Tom's Cabin," and you will thank us for telling you of it. If you cannot afford to buy a copy yourself, join with five others and buy it among you and then sell it to the highest bidder. If this book dont kill slavery in America right out, nothing that man or woman can do will.

The Fireside.

TO FATHERS AND MOTHERS, ABOUT BOYS BEING OUT AT NIGHT.

I HAVE long, says one, been an observer, as I am a lover of boys. I like to see them happy, cheerful, gleesome. I am not willing that they should be cheated out of the rightful heritage of youth— indeed, I can hardly understand how a high-toned useful man can be the ripened fruit of a boy who has not enjoyed a fair share of the glad privileges due to youth. But while I watch with a very jealous eye all rights and customs which entrench upon the proper rights of boys, I am equally apprehensive lest parents, who are not fore-thoughtful, and who have not habituated themselves to close observation upon this subject, permit their sons indulgences which are almost certain to result in their demoralization, if not in their total ruin; and among the habits which I have observed as tending most surely to ruin, I know of none more prominent than that of parents permitting their sons to be in the streets after nightfall. It is ruinous to their morals in almost all instances-they acquire, under cover of the night, an unhealthful and excited state of mind; bad language and practices, criminal sentiments, a lawless and riotous bearing; indeed, it is in the street after night-fall that boys principally acquire the education of the bad capacity for becoming dissolute criminal men. Parents should in this particular have a most rigid inflexible rule, that will never permit a son, under any circumstances whatever, to go into the street after night-fall, with a view of engaging in out-of-door sports or of meeting other boys. A rigid rule of this kind, invariably adhered to, will soon deaden the desire for such dangerous practices.

And if all this care be needful with regard to the boys, how much more is it with regard to the girls? Wise parents, the

THE PENNY POST BOX.

mother especially, will seek to provide, for both girls and boys, some pleasing and useful amusement and instruction in-doors during the winter evenings. They may grumble a little at first, but try to make things agreeable, and they will soon fall into the plan. And then, instead of learning to do evil, they will learn to do well. By reading good books, and so acquiring knowledge and wisdom, they will, in after life, give you pleasure and profit instead of pain and loss.

The Penny Post Box.

A NEW LITANY FOR THE TIMES.

BY A VILLAGER.

ALMIGHTY FATHER, God of Truth,
Grant that the aged and the youth,
The rich, the poor, in all our land,
May all obey thy great command;
That superstition's galling yoke
May by thy grace and truth be
broke;

From every evil work and word,
From slavery's chain and wars dread
sword,

From all intemperance and pride,
And every evil thing beside.

"Good Lord deliver us."

From all who say, by human merit
We may eternal life inherit;
From all who do the faith disown,
And push the Saviour from his
throne-

"Good Lord deliver us."

From priestcraft too of every kind; From all who would the conscienee bind;

From all usurpers, low or high, Who creep into the ministry; From every man-made minister, Whose thoughts are only sinister; From error's fearful treacherous From all that doth the church conspell, Whose dire effects are known so well To mix it with the world around; From all that's heathenish and

By persecutions dreadful ire,

By blood and groans, by sword and

fire; From pope's and cardinals, and

friars;

From popish earls, and lords, and
squires;
From all who own the man of sin;
From foes without and foes within
"Good Lord deliver us."

From teachers false of every kind;
From all who blindly lead the blind;
From all those formal priests and

people
Who so much worship church and
steeple;

found,

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FACTS, HINTS, AND GEMS.

Facts, Hints, and Gems.

Facts.

ABOUT AUSTRALIA.

Australia is nearly as large as the whole of the continent of Europe. The Four Colonies are New South Wales, founded 1788, population 180,000. Victoria, 1836, 78,000. South Australia, 1836, 67,000. West Australia, 1829, 4,600. The numbers are from the last census.

Minerals.-Coal, copper, iron, and lead, are found in various parts in abundance; and who does not now know that gold is!

The Distance is 16,000 milesthe voyage about 100 days. And when the people get there they must be ready to work hard and “rough it," as they say, for a time, or they had better never have gone.

Hints.

A THING BEGUN is half done;

The Seasons are the reverse of ours. Spring in September, Oct, November. Summer-December, go on and it will be soon finished. January, Feb. Autumn-March, April, May. Winter-June, July, August.

Looking for the Sun you must turn round to the north and not to the south as in England.

Strange Animals.-Bats as big as a nine gallon keg-a sailor took one for the devil! Kangaroos with pouches on their bellys for their young, leaping faster than a horse gallops.

Bees black.

The

Other Strange Things without stings. Swans Eagles white. No song birds. cuckoo shouts at night. The owl screeches by day.

Land.-Millions of acres adapted for the growth of grain, or with rich soft grass and trees like a nobleman's park in England.

Sheep are the animals for Australia. There are now, it is said, as many as twenty millions, yielding the finest wool. The meat is often wasted!

Very few Fruits. But wheat, barley, maize, and household vege tables are raised in abundance.

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A BAD THOUGHT is like a robber in your house. Turn it out.

Do LITTLE THINGS WELL; and thus you will best learn how to do great things better.

HONEST LABOUR is altogether honourable. We have more respect for the washing woman who gives us clean linen, than for the noble lady who does nothing for herself or others.

KIND WORDS do not cost much, but they accomplish much, and they neither blister lips nor tongue.

A SUSPICIOUS CHARACTER. - You may set him down for a knave who says there is no such thing as a honest man.

LOVE ALL-trust few-do harm to none.

THE VALUE OF MONEY is best taught by any one going to try to borrow some.

REFORMATION.-One reason why the world is not reformed is that we do not begin at home.

EVERY DAY is as a little life; we are as if we were born in the morning when we wake, and die at night when we fall asleep. Our whole life is made of such days.

PRIDE is as noisy a beggar as want, and a great deal more saucy.

PROMISES.-It is better to do and not promise, than to promise and not do.

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