of the Bible, and deposited it in the bottom of his trunk. The young man entered on his college career. The restraints of a pious education were soon broken off, and by an easy, yet rapid descent, he proceeded from speculation to doubts, and from doubts to a full denial of the reality of religion. After having become, in his estimation, wiser than his father, he discovered, one day, while rumaging his trunk, with great surprise and indignation, the sacred deposit. He took it out, and while deliberating upon the manner in which he should treat it, he finally concluded that he would use it as waste paper, on which to wipe his razor while shaving. Accordingly, every time he went to shave, he tore out a leaf or two of the holy volume, and converted it to the use which he had determined, until, in process of time, nearly the half of the volume was destroyed. But while he was committing this outrage upon the richest gift of God to man-a word, a text, now and then met his eye, and was carried like a barbed arrow to his heart. At length, one day, he happened to hear a sermon, which brought to view his own character, and his exposure to the wrath of God, and rivetted upon his mind the impression which he had received from the last torn leaf of the blessed yet insulted volume. Then rushed upon his agitated thoughts a conviction of his guilt, and especially of that act in which he had desecrated the Records of Heavenly Truth. Had worlds been at his disposal, he would freely have given them all, could they have availed in enabling him to retrace his steps, and undo the sacrilegious deed, which in the folly and pride, and wickedness of his heart, he had repeatedly committed. At length, however, he found forgiveness at the foot of the Cross. The torn leaves of that sacred volume were, after all, the leaves which served to heal his soul; for they led him to repose upon the mercy of God, which is sufficient for the chief of sinners. this instance of the amazing grace of God prove an encouragement to the friends of religion to go on in their sacred work of distributing the word of life; for it is the unchangeable promise of Jehovah, that his "word shall not return unto him void."

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A Physician's Sabbath.

THE following anecdote of a distinguished practitioner, may be of use to others in like circumstances. He was harassed with calls on the Sabbath-his Sabbaths were broken-he was prevented attending public worship-it was a trial to him to be obliged to serve his patrons so often and so constantly on the Sabbath. At length he adopted this expedient: he let it be known that he viewed the Sabbath as the Lord's day-sacred to his worshipand that he must regard his calls upon the sick on that day as the work of necessity and mercy-and that he should make no charge for his services on that day. He supposed that people would not call upon him in these circumstances that they would have too much goodness to ask for his services gratuitously, and that he should have few calls, and be free to attend public worship. But, to his surprise, it increased the evil-if his services were to be given on the Sabbath, every body wanted him on the Sabbath-and he was sent for here and there and all about. There was no keeping the Sabbath so. He accordingly changed the tables-and gave out that he should make a double charge for travel and visits on the Sabbath, and of course, that it would cost as much more to be sick on the Sabbath, as on any other day of the week. This expedient had the desired effect-he could do up his business on Saturday night, and with the exception of a few extreme cases, he could have his Sabbath for religious uses and regularly attend on public worship.

A new way to stop Selling Rum.

A CERTAIN trader in Vermont, having become convinced of the impropriety of selling rum, was desirous of stopping, but did not know how to begin, without offending some of his customers. There were some he could refuse. There were others he thought he could not; at any rate, "he didn't love to!" After studying upon the matter some time, he hit upon the following expedient. As he had sold in all quantities, to be drank in his store,

and to be carried away, he thought he would stop the tippling part of the business first. So he put his spirits all down cellar, and when a man called for something to drink, whom he did not love to refuse, he would say: Yes, go with me.” He then went down a narrow, crooked pair of stairs, through a trap door in the cellar, the man following him, poking along carefully, so as not to break his neck, and when they had got down, it was sure to be so dark that they couldn't see. He would then

say to his customer "really it is dark here, stop and I will get a light." He would then go up after a candle, and be sure to be gone as long as was any way decent, and when he returned there would be no tumbler down cellar, then he must run and get a tumbler, by no means in a hurry, and by the time he had got down with his tumbler, the cask was not tapped, and perhaps in his hurry the candle had gone out. He would then run and get a gimblet to tap the aforesaid cask, and draw his rum. Then there was sure to be no water, and he would run to get the water, and the candle would go out in his great haste, and by the time he got back with the water and light, from the beginning to the end of the whole operation, it would be the best part of half an hour. By this time his customer had got ready to swallow the dram, and put the question "What's to pay?"

"Oh! nothing, nothing! I don't take any pay."

Suffice it to say, that no man that he couldn't refuse, would ever call for a second dram. After serving all his influential customers in this way, he got rid of the tippling part of his business, and soon got rid of the residue, and kept a temperance store.

Old Humphrey's short way with Infidels.

IN moving among mankind, I have now and then fallen in with infidels, who had not only declared their disbelief of the Bible, but endeavored also to destroy the faith of others in that blessed book. The way in which they have always begun their attack is, to higgle and wriggle about some disputed point of little importance, with as much confidence, as if they were on the point of overturning the

whole truth of scripture by their silly prattle. Just as soon would a poor blind mole tear up from the ground an oak of a hundred year's growth, by burrowing under one of the least of its roots.

If ever you fall in with one of these unhappy beings, don't be drawn into cavil with them about trifles, but boldly declare your opinion leaving them to wrangle, if they like by themselves.

Tell them that if there be any thing good, and pure, and holy, and heavenly in the world, the Bible exhorts us to practice it; and if there be any thing that is evil, and base, and vile, in the world, the Bible commands us to avoid it. That will be a poser.

Tell them that the Bible contains more knowledge and wisdom than all the books that were ever printed, put together; and that those who believe its promises and obey its commandments, have peace and hope and joy, in the carcs of life, and the trying hour of death. That will be a poser too.

Tell them that the Bible has been believed in by the wisest and best of men from generation to generation, as the word of the living God, and that it makes known to a sinner the only way of salvation through the merits and death of a crucified Redeemer. That will be another poser.

And then ask them, before they pull the book to pieces any more, to produce one that has done a thousandth part as much good in making men happy on earth, and in guiding them in the way to heaven; and that will be the greatest poser of all to them.

Depend upon it, this course will be better than wrangling and jangling about sticks and straws, losing your temper, and feeling yourself outwitted into the bargain, by the borrowed conceits of silly coxcombs, whose hearts and whose heads are equally empty.

The Dutch Ship-master and the Russian Cottager.

IN a little town, five miles from St. Petersburgh, lived a poor German woman. A small cottage was her only

possession, and the visits of a few shipmasters, on their way to Petersburgh, her only livelihood. Several Dutch shipmasters having supped at her house one evening, she found, when they were gone, a sealed bag of money under the table. Some one of the company, had no doubt forgotten it, but they had sailed over to Cronstadt, and the wind being fair, there was no chance of their putting back. The good woman put the bag in her cupboard, to keep it till it should be called for. Full seven years, however, elapsed, and no one claimed it; and though often tempted by opportunity, and oftener tempted by want, to make use of the contents, the poor woman's good principles prevailed, and it remained untouched.

One evening, some shipmasters again stopped at her house for refreshment. Three of them were English, the fourth a Dutchman. Conversing on various matters, one of them asked the Dutchmen if he had ever been in that town before. "Indeed, I have," replied he, "I know the place but too well; my being here, cost me once seven hundred rubles." "How so?" "Why, in one of these wretched hovels, I once left behind me a bag of rubles." "Was the bag sealed?" asked the old woman, who was sitting in the corner of the room and whose attention was roused by the subject. "Yes, yes, it was sealed, and with this very seal, here at my watch chain." The woman knew the seal, instantly. "Well then," said she, by that you may recover what you have lost." "Recover it,

mother! No, no, I am rather too old to expect that: the world is not quite so honest-besides it is full seven years since I lost the money;-say no more about it, it always makes me melancholy."

Meanwhile, the good woman slipped out, and presently returned with the bag. "See here," said she, "honesty is not so rare, perhaps, as you may imagine;" and she threw the bag on the table.

The guests were astonished, and the owner of the bag, as may be supposed, highly delighted. He seized the bag, counted out one hundred rubles, and gave to the old woman, who thus, at length, was handsomely rewarded for her honesty.

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