Some nourishment being offered him he | wisdom, and in all such punctuality declined it, saying, he wanted none, he there is honour. The latter especially had done with the world. To a relative should with no Christian fail to be a he said, "I shall come off more than a part of his religion. By method what conqueror." In a few hours afterwards advantages are secured!--it is the having he realized that assurance in the pre- a time and a season for every purpose, sence and joy of his Lord. and every purpose fulfilled, whenever practicable, in its time and season; it is having a place for everything, and everything in its place. Herein is the saving of much precious time, and the prevention of much trouble. In this respect then, though perhaps some persons might sometimes smile at him, our friend was wise. Of Mr. Manning it may be said, he was truly a methodist, not, indeed, by religious denomination, but in daily life. In all he did he was strictly methodical. Method governed his actions in every department. His rise in the morning and retirement in the evening had their fixed hours. The same was the case with his meals, with his walks abroad, We make no claim to perfection for with his garden occupations, and with this aged saint, while he was here òn his visits to his friends. He was a the earth. It is not for the writer to great reader, and in this again method say what his imperfections were, if he strictly prevailed. He had his parts of knew them. But this he would wish to the day for reading his bible, and other say, and the departed himself would parts of it for reading other books. wish to have it said, he was not perfect. Again, his reading of the bible was Sin dwelt in him-it was felt by him, methodical. The New Testament was uttered by him, and done by him. Often for years read regularly through once when yet in his usual health has he every month. The reading of it was so been heard to acknowledge and lament methodized as that every day of the the defects which belonged to him as a month should have its share of it. It man, a Christian, and a minister. Yes, must be commenced on the first day, he was imperfect, and he knew it. And and not finished before the last day. who is perfect? It is a mercy when, This was his own private reading. At like the departed, men and Christians family worship similar method prevailed. powerfully feel their imperfections, The Old Testament was the most fre- deeply mourn over them, ardently quently used at these seasons. Some desire perfection, perseveringly seek it, particular book, as that of the Psalms, and rejoice in the prospect of it in the or Proverbs, would be selected for regu- upper world. lar reading until it was gone through. Of method, regularity, and punctuality, he was an ardent lover, and a rigid observer. So much was this his habit that if engagements made with him by others were in any instance not strictly observed he felt, and showed himself, annoyed. He was himself conscientiously exact in the fulfilment of all his engagements with others, unless circumstances he could not control occurred to prevent him. The mortal remains of this venerable minister of Christ were committed to their last resting place in the chapel burial ground, on Lord's day, April 8th, in the presence of a large concourse of persons, many of whom had come from considerable distances, and belonged to other Christian denominations. The chapel was immediately afterwards densely crowded, and the funeral discourse was preached by the writer from the text already mentioned as the choice In all such methodism there is of the deceased. THE SPRING. How grateful to our feelings is the return of spring! All nature now revives after the slumbers of a long winter. The birds with their songs, the cattle with their increase, the trees with their opening buds, the gardens with their first flowers, the meadows with their fresh herbage, the fields with their expanding blades of corn, man with his renewed activity, all indicate the presence of a universally reviving power, and each in appropriate form seems to say, and that gladly, "Farewell winter, welcome spring." May we not follow the example of Him who derived lessons from the lily, the grass, and the sparrow, and try to gather a little instruction from the opening spring? be read, the forsaken closet must be again the place of resort, the prayermeeting long forgotten must again be sought, "the garden must be dug, seed sown, and weeds pulled up." And so in a church. When spring succeeds to winter, when young converts begin to come in, when the garden begins to revive, then long forsaken means must be revived, then the zeal of the young convert stimulates the flagging energies of the aged saint, then many a wrong practice is seen to be but a weed, and must accordingly be pulled up. O may the Sun shine upon us and upon our churches, and give us increased encouragement to work! As we see the wonderful works of God unfolding themselves, we feel afresh called upon not only to wonder, but to praise. Who does all this? we exclaim, as we gaze on beautiful blossoms, enchanting views, and increasing splendour. The answer is, not man, but God God does it all. He is doing it all. Simultaneously, everywhere, continuously, is the unseen hand at work. Oh, we must exclaim, God is doing it all. Bless the Lord, O my soul ! The spring seems to be a universal call to cleanliness and industry. The fresh face of nature, the green leaves and beautiful flowers, all call upon man to emulate the cleanliness and activity which appear every where. Thus men are induced to dig, and rake, and weed their gardens; all, from the prince to the cottager, now seek to recover their gardens, &c., from the negligence and forlorn appearance of winter. Now But what of these buds, and leaves, spring being come, the house must and flowers? Are they the same which undergo a purifying process; that which met our delighted view at a previous would do for winter, will not do for spring? Ah, no! Flowers there are, spring. So when the Sun of righteous- but not the same; leaves there are, and ness arises on the sinner's mind, and his on the same trees, but not the same warm and reviving rays are being felt, leaves; buds there are, but not the he must purify himself from the works former leaves re-folded and re-opening. of sin. That which would do for the No, they are others; same in kind, but winter of a life of unrighteousness, not the identical buds, leaves, and flowcannot be tolerated in the spring time ers of the previous season. We hail of spiritual life. And so again after another course, the former are gone for the wintry period of the soul's expe- ever. How affectingly are we reminded rience, whence Christ becomes renew- here of the successive generations of edly precious, when the heart feels a man! One generation passeth away, return of its first love, the soul is stirred and another generation cometh. The into activity, sinful indulgences must children growing up around us are he discarded, the neglected bible must another generation. We are hastily passing away, no more to appear in this world as the child, the youth, the young man. "Can a man be born when he is old; can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born ?" The spring by its reviving influence, and by the impulse given to vegetation, revives and stimulates our hopes for the coming autumn. We begin now actively and earnestly to act on those hopes, and to prepare for the approaching season. So are our hopes for a spiritual autumn regulated by a corresponding spring. Are our hearts moved to seek the Lord? Do we feel the word of God quick and powerful? Do we feel that God is pouring out his Spirit from on high upon us? Then is our time to be up and doing, "to seek the Lord while he may be found, and call upon him while he is near." "Prepare me, Lord, for thy right hand, But again, as in nature so in grace, there are agreeable intimations of the approach of spring,-a warmer atmosphere, a brighter sun, felt so agreeably that obstacles to active effort spontaneously disappear. Instead of seeking excuses and reasons for keeping within doors, we rather seek every opportunity to get out and enjoy the sweet air and warm sun, and these are perhaps among the most prominent indications of spring. Spiritually, a warmer interest in the means of grace; such increasing comfort derived from them that they become necessary to the soul's healthful existence; such an increasing interest in them derived from felt benefit, that, instead of seeking an excuse for absence, nothing but an impossibility becomes a prevalent obstacle; a more correct and feeling appreciation of Christ as the friend of sinners; such warmth felt in communion with Christ, that instead of being a dreary duty it becomes a delight ful exercise, sought, not avoided, may analogically be accounted as intimations of a spiritual spring. 66 Spring has its drawbacks; so has the development of spiritual life. "To the one," says the apostle, we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life." The warmth of spring not only brings up the wheat but the tares, not only the flowers but the weeds; not only does the swallow cheer us but the bat and the owl dismay us; and in spiritual things if the presence of Christ cheers us Satan is often present to tempt us; if the church revives and flourishes with something like] pristine vigour and beauty, then does the persecutor become most active. But as we would rather have the weeds and bats and owls than no spring, so would we have the temptations of Satan and the persecutions of the world rather than be without them and have a cold and lifeless and wintry state of the church. We may be reminded of the effects of spring. The return of this season clearly distinguishes between the living and the dead, and gives fresh evidences of life. The bough which now shows no signs of life is broken off and consigned to the fire. The bulb, the root which now throws up no leaves and flowers, is pronounced dead. Present development is required as an evidence of present life. So in a spiritual spring, in a revival of real religion, in the outpouring of God's Holy Spirit, life will be manifest by a fresh and living train of the sensations and developments of life. However gratefully past experiences may be remembered, it is not on them that dependence will be placed as evidences of life, at least not alone. The tree is recognised as alive not only because it bore leaves and fruit last year, but because its leaves and signs of fruit are now appearing. And the Christian will not be recognized as such because he was the devoted believer, the loving, confiding, and active church member at some previous period, but because he gives evidence of fresh, of present love, confidence, devotion to Christ as his living Saviour. And finally, the spring time is a crisis of opportunity, which if neglected never returns. A momentous consideration which concerns us all, whether regarded as public or private Christians, sinners or saints. If there be no seed sown in spring, no harvest can be reasonably expected in autumn. If there be no seed of repentance we can expect no fruit of forgiveness; if no faith now no glory hereafter; if no prayer on earth no praise in heaven; if no self-denial for Christ no acknowledgment by Christ. And O what a precious cluster of fruit will that be which they will gather to whom Christ will say, "As ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me; enter ye into the joy of your Lord!" May the Holy Ghost create a spring time in our hearts! T. S. W. New Mill, Tring. REVIEW S. Letters of John Calvin, compiled from the This volume is the first instalment; three others are to follow. It was in early life that these letters were written, and they of course are not so important in their bearing upon public affairs as those of later date. Of an old minister whom we knew some years ago it was said by another, that he was a boy, and would be a boy all the days of his life, but Calvin seems never to have been a he was about thirty, his friends were anxious that he should marry, and it would perhaps amuse some of our lady readers if we were to extract some of his cool notices on this subject. In reference to one he says to his friend Farel, "Previous to the departure of Michael, I do not know whether any 66 THE letters of eminent men are the best materials for history. Not only were the writers acquainted with facts which to by-standers were unknown, | boy, scarcely even a young man. When they knew also better than others the motives by which they were actuated, the objects they had in view, and the difficulties with which they had to contend. Unbosoming themselves in the freedom of friendly correspondence, if they were sincere and upright, they would place on record many incidents illustrative of characters and events, the results of which were never so developed as to attract public attention. Beza remarked justly too, that "there are many things that may be said or written in the familiar intercourse of sincere and ingenuous friendships, such as Calvin's, which can hardly be given" with a fine figure. This only is the to the public without inconvenience." "beauty which allures me, if she is This was one reason why the request of, chaste, if not too nice or fastidious, if Calvin, a few days before his death, "economical, if patient, if there is hope that a selection from his letters should" that she will be interested about my one made mention of that person "concerning whom I wrote. But always "keep in mind what I seek to find in "her; for I am none of those insane "lovers who embrace also the vices "of those they are in love with, "where they are smitten at first sight 66 66 health; therefore if you think well of it, set out immediately, in case some be presented to the reformed churches, was not complied with by his surviving associates; though others arose from one else get beforehand with you. the great and complicated disasters" But if you think otherwise, we may which befell them and their country- "let that pass. After this I shall not men. It is, however, matter for con- "write again until you come." Respectgratulation that now, nearly three cen- ing another he says to the same zealous turies afterwards, six hundred letters of negociator, "A certain damsel of noble Calvin's, the greater part of which have "rank has been proposed to me, and never before been printed, are about to with a fortune above my condition. be published by parties whose names "Two considerations deterred me from are a sufficient guarantee for the able" that connexion-because she did not and faithful accomplishment of the "understand our language, and because work they have undertaken. "I feared she might be too mindful of |