successful;" while they were enabled to congratulate themselves and the protestant world that the enlarged spirit of inquiry among the Romanists generally in Ireland, no less than the special evidence of the progress of conversions in particular districts, affords grounds of much encouragement to a continuation of the course hitherto pursued by the society." The receipts of the year had been £12,688, and the expenditure £11,769. NAVAL AND MILITARY BIBLE SOCIETY.— During the year 1851-52, the society distributed 20,238 bibles and testaments; of which for the army 243 for bargemen 4,966, and for merchant seaman 13,317. This distribution, added to those of former years, has increased the total distributed to 555,446 copies. The receipts of the society were £2,278, and the expenditure £2,274. HOME AND COLONIAL SCHOOL SOCIETY.-In the course of the year 1851-52, 206 teachers have been trained, and 77 returned for further training. In March last there were 156 teachers under training. The income of the society was £4,093, and the expenditure £4,088. Among the resolutions passed at the sixteenth anniversary, on the 3rd May last, was the following: "At a time when the great question of national education is before parliament, it appears to this meeting a solemn duty to deprecate in the strongest manner the enactment of any special rate for educational purposes, and to express its firm conviction that a liberal and energetic working-out of the admirable plan now for some years adopted by her majesty's government for giving pecuniary and other aid to schools, is far more likely to promote the Christian education of the people than any which has yet been devised."

HOLINESS*.

"There is none holy as the Lord."-1 SAM. ii. 2.

H. S.

THE Lord is holy. "Holy! holy! holy is the Lord of hosts." Such was the seraphims' song, when the glory of the Lord was revealed to Isaiah (ch. vi.). "Holy! holy! holy" thrice repeated is the salutation; because each Person in the blessed Trinity is holy the Father "holy," the Son "holy," and the Holy Ghost "holy." And was not the "oly One of Israel," one of the glorious names of God? Yea, so holy is he that holy and reverend is his name," as the psalmist sings (Ps. iii. 9). And, when Isaiah delivereth a message, it is in these words: "Thus saith the high and lofty One, that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy."

So holy is our God, that all near him, all around him must be holy. Even the place where he is becomes holy. When the Eternal reveal himself to Moses in flames of fire from out of the burning bush, he is warned that the ground is holy: Come not nigh hither: take off thy shoes from off thy feet; for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground." The heaven of heavens in which he dwells is a holy place; and the place whence he hears prayer from on earth, truly is it called a sanctuary"-a holy place. And those who worship around him in heaven, are they not

* From a M.S. discourse by the late rev. F. W. Smith.

all holy? Holy are the angels, holy are the spirits of just men made perfect. So likewise is the Person of the most high God holiness altogether: hence the apostle adjures his beloved, "Follow peace with all men and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord;" a plain warn. ing to every soul living that this is the condition upon which alone the gates of heaven can be unbarred, and the "holiest of holies" receive the ransomed. Behold too the types: when the high priest performed solemn sacrifice to the Lord, be dared not to enter upon the office without having on the breastplate, bearing "Holiness to the Lord", as his warrant. Nothing can be sanctified or set apart for the service of this "high and lofty One" but what is or can be accounted "holy." Even when he set apart, to his own glory and for man's sanctification, the seventh day, "he hallowed it." And the very lamb or ox that should be sacrificed to him must be free from spot or blemish. So holy indeed is the Lord Jehovah, that "there is none holy as the Lord:" the very stars are not clean in his sight.

Alas! when God searches our spirits, what does he find there? Infirmity, uncleanness, sin. It his sight what are we, his creatures, but a nest of unclean things? The leper of old, when he appeared before a fellow-creature who was clean from that foul disease, was constrained to cry out, "Unclean! unclean!" even so must we, when we come into the presence of the Lord. How awful the thought! God is holy; and we are vile. When Isaiah beheld the glory of God, how overwhelming his confusion and terror! "Woe is me! for I am undone, because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for mine eyes have seen the king, the Lord of hosts." He felt and confessed that he had not in his heart that which the high priest bore on his breastpleast: "Holiness to the Lord" was not inscribed there: he felt that for a man to approach the most pure was as the contrasted with "the beauty of holiness"; as the hideousness of sin drawing near to be fearfully hidden worker of deeds of darkness drawing close to the light, that his deeds should be reproved: reach of a consuming fire. He felt, Our God as the brand ready for the burning, brought within is a consuming fire, to burn up the ungodly as servants was more faithful?-said God, "No mas tow." Nay, unto Moses-and who among his shall see me, and live." And such was Isaiah's dread: he felt that he could not endure the brightness of that presence; nor could he.

But God hath mercies which endure for ever, and his compassions fail not. O, if they did fail, hold his own peculiar people, the Jews-as a nahow could man fail to be consumed quickly? Be tion how wonderfully preserved from destruction, though outcasts over the whole face of the earth, though their hands crucified Jesus, the Lord of their future state, God saith by his servant Jereglory! Even to such as they, when speaking of miah (Lam. iii. 22), "It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not: they are new every morning.”

And do his compassions fail towards us Gentiles? O no: they have found out an offering of a sweet-smelling savour, to take away our iniquity, and purge our sin. His mercy has willed

a means for restoring his sinful creature to holi.. ness. God made Adam in his own image-a perfect image, one of the fairest beauties of which is "the beauty of holiness;" but this Adam blotted out the image. Yet, although he lost it, the compassion of God has compassed the design of recreating man anew after the same image of his holiness. And note how he has compassed this. We read (Isa. vi. 6) that a seraph brought a live coal from the altar, and touched the prophet's lips? But what did this import? On that altar there was, as it were, a sacrifice in the presence of the Eternal-a victim slain and lying there, | and offered as a burnt-offering. Now, whom does this victim represent? This victim, the true Lamb of God, who is it? Who is he that has entered into the holy place-the holiest, even the presence of God? Who? even he that offered himself on the holy mount, the mount of Calvary. Verily, he hath entered in heaven, to present his blood unto his Father as a full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice, atonement, and satisfaction for the sins of the whole world. And there he ever liveth to make intercession for us, to plead not only for our forgiveness by reason of what he hath done, but to mediate irresistibly with the Father for a supply of the good things we need; yes, whatever these may be, and however sore our need, to send them down to us in full sufficiency. Just as the seraph flew to Isaiah with a coal of fire from the altar of purificatiou, so Jesus taketh of the good gifts he receiveth of the Father from the altar of his own sacrifice. Now of these good gifts, there is not one more sorely required by us than that holiness which cannot be wrought in us but by the gift of his Holy Spirit.

SIGHTS WHICH I HAVe seen.

BY MARY ROBERTS.
No. III.

WHY, you perhaps will ask me, should tracts be written expressly for the London street folk? Simply because it would be difficult, perhaps even impossible for them to understand those which are in general circulation. Persons who live in the country, and pay attention to their poor neighbours, well know with what avidity instructive and interesting tracts are read, when adapted to agricultural labourers and artizans, and that it would be useless to tell them concerning the habits and modes of thinking that prevail in far off lands. So it is with the people of whom we speak. They are in many respects a peculiar race; trained from early youth to sell nuts, oranges, and fruits: the education which they receive in childhood is such only as the streets afford, acuteness with regard to all that concerns their immediate wants, their business or gratifications; but nothing more. Hence it is that children scarcely seven or eight years of age will patiently endure both cold and hunger, in order to obtain money without the trouble of working for it; that, when earning for themselves, they indulge their ardent desires for amusements of the most exciting character, and grow up with an utter repugnance" to in-door industry."

Such are their general characteristics; and yet individually many of them are endowed with faculties capable of appreciating and enjoying forms of truth, of beauty, and of goodness, possessing the same faculties and susceptibilities as ourselves; responsibilities also, of which they are in general fearfully ignorant.

Few, unfortunately, can read; and parents care little for having their children taught; yet they like to be read to, and listen very attentively to any exciting tale. An accurate informant states that a man often reads the Sunday paper at some beer-shop, and that in a fine summer evening & costermonger or any neighbour, who has the advantage of being a "schollard" reads aloud to them in the courts which they inhabit. Unhappily, Reynolds's periodicals please them best: we say unhappily, because those periodicals are too often revelations of crimes and misery. This love of hearing night doubtless be turned to good advantage; yet such publications as are called tracts they will rarely listen to, although "if any persevering man will read tracts, and state that he does it for their advantage, they listen without rudeness, though often with apparent unwillingness." All this goes far to prove that, if tracts of a nature calculated to interest them could be put into the hands of persons who have their good at heart, great advantages might accrue by the divine blessing. Take, for example, the history of the miraculous draught of fishes (John xxi. 1-14): make no remark on the narrative itself, because it is sufficiently interesting, but dilate somewhat at large on the natural history of fish; a subject in itself equally curious and amusing. Many costermongers deal in fish of various kind; and certainly no branch of natural history is so likely to please them or to excite attention. We are told that works relating to courts and crowned heads and nobles are highly appreciated by these rude people; that one of them, having seen a picture of Catherine of Russia, earnestly desired to be told all about her. Why should not this inclination be turned to a good account? Many a romantic and spirit-stirring fact might be related concerning the excellent of the earth, who have filled exalted stations, and important conclusions drawn from them. Nay, more; the consequences of evil-doing might in other cases be shown forth, with the infinite importance of right conduct, either in the heads of nations or of families.

Such tracts might undoubtedly be written with great advantage; tracts also having reference to the animal creation, with anecdotes illustrative of their fidelity to man, and the services which they render. For, sad to say, cruelty to defenceless birds and animals is among the vices of costermongers. Moreover, why should not the minds of men, who deal in the productions of the sea, and who watch the rising and falling of river tides, be enlightened on the subject, and be made acquainted with the invaluable benefits conferred on mankind by the ebbing and flowing of the tide? But, instead of knowing aught on the subject, the ignorance of costermongers is most deplorable in too many instances.

One man, who boasted that he had served the king of Naples, most probably the prince of Capua when in England, on being asked if he knew where Naples was to be found, replied, "I

can't say; but, if you was to ask at Eustonsquare, they'll tell you the fare there, and the time to go it in. It may be in France for anything I know, or in Ireland. Why don't you ask at the square? I went to Croydon once by rail, and slept all the way without stirring; and so you may to Naples for any thing I know." When speaking of his mode of life, he said, "My crabs is caught in the sea, in course. I gets them at Billingsgate. I never saw the sea; but its salt water I know; but I can't say whereabout it lays. I believe it's in the hands of the Billingsgate salesmen-all of it. I've worked the streets and courts at all times: I've worked them by moonlight; but you could'nt see the moonlight where it was busy. I can't say how far the moon's off It's nothing to me; but I've seen it a good deal higher than St. Paul's."

us.

"What is St. Paul's?" inquired the narrator. "A church, sir, so I've heard. I never was in a church; but I've heard of God: he made heaven and earth I never heard of his making the sea; that's another thing, and you can best learn about that at Billingsgate."

A tall, stout boy, about sixteen years of age, with an utterly vacant countenance, replied as follows to questions that were asked him :

:

"My father was a waggoner, and worked the country roads. There was two of us at home with mother; and we used to play along with the boys of our court in Golden-lane, at buttons and marbles big boys used to cheat, and thump us if we grumbled: that's all I recollects of my infancy, as you calls it. Father died when I was three, and brother only a year old, worse luck. Mother was so easy with us, we did as we liked: she used to be up and out very early washing for families-any thing for a living. She was a good mother to us. Afore she got to work, and it was a goodish long time, we were shocking hard up, and she pawned nigh every thing. Sometimes, when we had'nt no grub (food) at all, the other lads would give us, now and then, some of their bread and butter; but often our stomachs ached with hunger, and we would cry when we were very far gone. When mother got work, she was at it from six in the morning till ten at night, which was a long time for a child to hold out; and when it was dark we would go and lie on the bed, and try to sleep till she came home with the food. I was eight years old then. A man as know'd mother said to her, 'Your boys got nothing to do let him come along with me, and yarn a few ha'pence; so I became a coster. He gave me 4d. a morning, and my breakfast. I worked with him about three years, until I learnt the markets: then I and brother got baskets of our own, and used to keep mother. I never heard about Christianity, as you call it. No, I never heard tell about this here creation you speaks about. In course God Almighty made the world, and the poor bricklayers' labourers built the houses afterwards--that's my opinion; but I can't say, not knowing. I have heard a little about our Saviour: they seem to say he was a goodish kind of man; but, if he says as how a man ought to forgive a fellow as hits him, I should say he know'd nothing about it. I'd precious soon see an enemy of mine shot afore I'd forgive him. Before father died, I used sometimes to say my

prayers; but, after that, mother was too busy getting a living to mind about my praying. Yes, I knows-in the Lord's prayer they says, 'For give us our trespasses as we forgive them as trespasses against us.' It's a very good thing of course; but no costers can't do it."

We learn, further, from the author of " London Labour and London Poor" that, according to the testimony of an intelligent and trustworthy man, until lately engaged in costermongering, that not three in one hundred costermongers had ever been within the doors of a church, or any place of wor ship, or knew indeed what was meant by Chris tianity. "They have," said he, "taken in the aggregate, no religion at all, and very little idea of a future state. Of all things they hate tractssimply for this reason: because not one in forty can read; and they are vexed to be bothered with people's calling, who do them no good, just running from door to door, and making them feel their ignorance. Now, with respect to the city missionaries, they like them, because they read aloud something that is interesting, and because they visit the sick, and sometimes give oranges and such like to them and the children. I've known a city missionary buy a shilling's worth of oranges of a coster, and give them away to sick folks and children down the court; and that makes him respected. I think these men have done good. But I'm satisfied that if the costers were obliged to profess themselves of some religion to-morrow, they would all turn Roman catholics, every one of them. This is the reason: London costers live very often in the same courts and streets as the poor Irish; and, if the Irish are sick, be sure there comes to them the priest, the sisters of charity, or some other ladies. Many a man that's not a papist has died without any good person near him. Why, I lived a good while in Lambeth, and there wasn't one in a hundred that knew so much as the rector's name, though he was a very good gentleman. I'm no papist; for I believe every word in the bible. Religion is a regular puzzle to the costers. They see people come out of church and chapel; and, as they are mostly well dressed, and there's very few of their own sort among the church-goers, the costers somehow mix up being religious with being respectable; and so they have a queer sort of feeling about it. It's a mystery to them: it's shocking when you come to think of it, and ye they'll listen to any preacher who goes among them. There's another thing that makes the costers think well of the catholics; that is, if a catholic coster-there's only a few of them-is pen niless, he's often started again. Strange it is that the regular costermongers, who are nearly all Londoners, should have such respect for the Ro man catholics, when they have such a dislike to the Irish, whom they look upon as intruders and underminers."

This simple statement is nevertheless a most important one. Self-sacrifice uniformly com mands respect: every sensible person, whether man or woman, whether utterly ignorant or wellinformed, must be aware that for persons accus. tomed to the refinements of life, nay, even ordinary comforts, to enter close and ill-ventilated rooms, to breathe impure air, and to run the risk of infection, must require no small sacrifice. Cos