So faid one of our poets-and he faid truly. It is therefore wife in man" to notice carefully thofe divifions of his life, which may remind him of its brevity and its vanity. How many mile-ftones hath God fet up to enable us to mark the progrefs of our journey! The pulfe, the dial, the watch or clock, the rifing and the fetting fun, the waxing and the waning moon, and the fucceffive feafons, all, all confpire to remind us that every thing beneath the fun is vain and tranfitory. Our moments imperceptibly glide into minutes, our minutes into hours, our hours into days, and our days into weeks, months, and years.

A year-another year gone! There is fomething folemn in the found. Our days are too often fquandered, like loofe pence in our pockets; but the lapfe, efpecially the lofs, of a year, is a ferious thought indeed. It is fo large a portion of human life, especially of adult life, that it muft not pass away unnoticed. As careful tradefmen ufually take stock once in the year, and accurately calculate their profits and foffes, fo will the man of God, ferioufly examine how he has spent the twelve preceding months, and whether he be upon the whole a gainer or a lofer in his fpiritual concerns.

Chriftian! review the year paft. Set down the Sabbaths you have enjoyed; the fermons you have heard; the prayers you have offered; the company you have kept;: the miferies you have escaped; the temptations you have conquered: the opportunities you have poffeffed and im-proved of gaining and of doing good: the account-but the account would foon become incalculable.

If fuch reflections as thefe arife from the retrofpect of a fingle year, what an ample field does a century of years afford? Perhaps no one who perufes this page, can perfonally look back to the commencement of the eighteenth century; yet it may be profitable to take a general historical furvey of it.

What multitudes have been born during that period? If the world contain, as is fuppofed, a thousand millions of inhabitants, we may conclude that, at leaft, thrice that number have been born; and probably, as many have died. What vaft acceffions have been made to the myriads of the glorified, and of the damned! In what proportion, it is not for us to fay: but we know who hath faid, that broad is the way that leadeth to deftruction, and many there be which go in thereat; and that narrow is the way which leadeth to life, and few there be which find it."

Oh!

Oh what avails it now to the generation that flourished in the year 1701, the wealth, the plenty, the gaiety, the fplendor, the popularity they then enjoyed! They all now know that the world is vanity; they all now know that "one thing is needful." O that they had all known it then!

Many are the changes which this nation, not to mention others, has experienced in the century paft. No violent convulfion, bleffed be God, has rent our favoured country, as in fome neighbouring nations; but the ordinary viciffitudes of human affairs have fucceeded each other. Many royal heads have been laid low in the filent tomb.---King William III. Queen Anne, George I. and George II. have been peacefully gathered to their fathers. Many fagacious ftatefmen, crafty politicians, fubtle philofophers, elegantpoets, ingenious artifts, enterprifing merchants, eloquent orators, and courageous foldiers and failors, have appeared on the ftage of action, performed their parts, and made their exit. Several fanguinary and expenfive wars have distressed and defolated various parts of the continent; while England, though a party in the conteft, has been exempted from being the afflicted feat of war, except for fhort seasons, in the rebellion of 1715 and 1745. Many great men have flourished in Britain, whose names will be long revered. In the literary circle a Newton, a Boyle, a Locke, an Addison, a Pope, a Young, a Johnfon, a Cowper, and many others crowd immediately on our recollection. One man ftands almoft alone-Howard, the martyr of benevolence.

The religious world ought with thankfulness to remember that England has enjoyed religious liberty for more than an hundred years. Individuals, moved by envy and ignorance, have in the contracted circle of their influence; laboured to prevent the free courfe of the Gofpel; but, under the protection of the prefent illuftrious royal family, and the Toleration act, as much freedom has been enjoyed in the exercife of the rights of confcience, as can reafonably be expected; perhaps more than almost any other people have poffeffled for fo great a length of time. The names of Watts, Doddridge, Henry, Gill, Hervey, Berridge, Romaine, &c. will long furvive in the memory of pious Britons. Whitfield and a Wesley will be held in everlasting remembrance. By their extenfive and eccentric labours, together with the remote influence of them, a kind of evangelical

But a

revolution

revolution has taken place among us. The doctrines of the Gospel are revived." Vital religion has fucceeded the empty form. A more useful and animated mode of preaching has been introduced. There are many more itinerant labourers. The partition wall of bigotry is fhaken to its bafe. Miffionary Societies are established; and many ufeful inftitutions framed for the diffufion of knowledge. Thefe are events which demand our warmeft gratitude. These are events for which thousands will have caufe to adore our Saviour to eternity.

In refpect of temporal affairs, the late century has fet in a cloud. Our own nation has been long engaged with its allies, in an obftinate conflict, the progrefs of which has aftonished the whole world. What its iffue may be, it is not for us to conjecture. We disclaim all political difquifitions. But we may be permitted to obferve, that though we have witneffed great events, it is probable that we are on the eve of events far greater ftill. The obfcure leaves of prophecy appear to be unfolding. The deftruction of the Papal Babylon feems to approach; and, connected with that cataftrophe, we have reafon to hope that "the glorious Gospel of the bleffed God" will extend its heavenly influence to the ends of the earth. We have lived to fee the Spirit of grace and of fupplication poured upon Chriftian churches, which, though feparated by feas and oceans, or diverfified by forms and modes, are cheerfully concurring in one petition-"Thy kingdom come!" The people of God, now awake and alive to the intereft of immortal fouls, ceafe not, day or night their fervent addreffes to heaven; nor will they give the Lord "reft till he establish and make Jerufalem a praife in the whole earth."

This is our hope. . But neither time paft, nor to come, fo much demands our attention as the prefent. It is the weaknefs of our nature almost always "to employ ourselves about the time paft, or to come; the present is never the mark of our defigns. Thus we never live, but we ever hope to live.” Let us be wifer. "Dum vivimus, vivamus." Let us live to God, then shall we live to purpose; and then, whatever events may chequer the new century, or that portion of it which we fhall occupy, it is enough for us to know—“ It fhall be well with the righteous," it fhall be well with us.

G. B.

THE

THE TWO APPRENTICES:

A NARRATIVE AND CONVERSATION.

Written to fhew the Excellency and Ufe of Scripture.

OHN SMART and Thomas Steady were fellow ap

JOHN

prentices to a refpectable tradefman in a confiderable. country town. Thomas was a ferious, intelligent and amiable youth, who had been religiously educated under a pious uncle. John had more vivacity and quickness both of wit and temper, and was too much difpofed to be what is called unlucky, but which is in fact wicked; he had feen nothing at his father's houfe, (who was a wealthy farmer) but a jovial and merry life.

Their master was a worthy man in his dealings, and fometimes went to church; but did not concern himfelf about the religion of his family. He had no objection to the ferioufnels of Thomas nor the levity of John, fo that they attended diligently to their business.

Every Sunday both the boys went home to their refpective friends, and spent the day as they had been accuftomed. Thomas went to church with his uncle, attended very ́. feriously to the minifter, and when they returned, he read the Scriptures and other religious books. On the other hand, John generally spent the Sunday mornings in rambling about the fields; fometimes maying or birds-nefting, blackberrying or fishing, as opportunity ferved; and his afternoons and evenings were commonly fpent in indolence and sport, or in foolish talking and jefting in his father's family.

As they both ferved in their mafter's fhop, and he was much abfent, they had many opportunities for converfation, and the different manner in which they fpent the Sabbath was often the fubject. John was proud to relate his exploits and adventures: and Thomas, to whom they were always difagreeable, seldom failed to reprove or to admonish him. Thefe reproofs, though adminiftered with temper and affection, would fometimes pierce his mind like a dagger; but the wounds were not deep, and therefore foon clofed, and were forgotten; and not unfrequently the ftroke was warded off by a kind of levity, which fteels the mind against conviction, and renders it infenfible to its own beft

interefts.

On one occafion, however, their converfation became VOL. IX.

D

more

more ferious, and its effects more important. On the preceding Sunday John had been at home as ufual, and was highly entertained by a ftrolling player, who had gained admiffion to his father's table, and greatly diverted them with jefting upon the Bible; turning many of its hiftories into ridicule, and particularly that of the prophet Jonah, who, by the miraculous power of God, was preferved three days alive in the belly of a whale. This profane ridicule John miftook for wit, as young people are too apt to do, and thought it would furnish him with excellent weapons to attack Thomas, and overturn his principles. Monday came, and John foon found an opportunity to commence his affault, which he did as follows:

John. Well, Thomas, what was the parfon's text yefterday? Was it about Jonah and his whale?

Thomas. No, John: his text was, "Good is the word of the Lord which he hath spoken." What think you of it?

J. Think! Why, I wonder at your believing fuch ftories as your Bible contains to be the word of God. If inftead of the whale fwallowing Jonah, it had been faid Jonah fwallowed the whale, you'd believe it?

T. It is time enough to fay fo when I do. Yet, I confefs, I would as foon believe that as fome things you do. J. How fo?—Sure I don't believe too much.

T. I mean, you believe things much more abfurd than I do, after all your ridicule.

J. What things?

T. What do you think of the Bible?

J. That it is a grofs impofition on mankind: the contrivance of knaves and hypocrites.

T. What does it teach?

J. You beft know that.

T. Does it teach wickednefs or goodness?

J. Oh, it teaches many good things, to be fure.

T. Does it teach any evil ones?

J. Not that I know of.

T. Did you ever know any perfon made wicked by reading and ftudying the Bible?

J. No. But did you ever know of any made better by it?

T. Yes, furely Farmer Newman ufed to fwear, and lic, and cheat his neighbours; but now he prays, and reads and loves his Bible, every body admires the alteration. So Ralph the waggoner ufed to get drunk, and quarrel, and beat his wife, and farve his children; but now he is one of

the