Mr. Wontner, the keeper of Newgate, stated, that "he had heard many prisoners express their regret, that their crimes had originated with a breach of the sabbath;" that "he had known them caution their relatives and friends to observe the sabbath, tracing their own crimes to their nonobservance or breach of the sabbath;” and “ that nine-tenths of the prisoners coming under his care did not value the sabbath, or were not in the habit of attending a place of worship."

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Mr. Benjamin Baker, who had been in the habit of visiting the prisoners in Newgate for the last twenty years, stated that he had almost universally found the prisoners who became impressed with a sense of their unhappy condition, lamenting their neglect of the duties of the sabbath;" that they almost universally considered sabbath-breaking as the leading cause of their transgressions; and "that the deviation from the sabbath led them on, step by step, into that degree of crime which had brought them to their lamentable çondition." Mr. Baker had attended the execution of not less than three hundred and fifty criminals, "and nine out of ten," said he, "have dated the principal part of their departure from God to the neglect of the sabbath; that," he added, "has certainly been the case!"

The Rev. David Ruell, chaplain of the New Prison, Clerkenwell, stated, that 100,000 prisoners, at the lowest calculation, had passed under his care; "that he had had many opportunities of learning from the prisoners themselves the courses which had led them into crime, and generally found that the neglect or gross violation of the sabbath was one;" that he had in many cases heard prisoners regret that they had been so regardless of the Lord's day;" and, in reference to the method of sabbath violation, he stated his impression, that "by far the greater number desecrated the sacred day from taking their own pleasure." As to the inseparableness of crime and sabbath-breaking, he said, "I do not recollect a single case of capital offence where the party has not been a sabbath-breaker, and in many cases they assured me that sabbath-breaking was the first step in the course of crime !" To the question, "Have confessions to that effect been frequent ?" he answered, "Frequently have they acknowledged it; and in some cases they have requested me to warn others against it, from their example. Indeed, I may say, in reference to prisoners of all classes, that in nineteen cases out of twenty they are persons who have not only neglected the sabbath, but all other ordinances of religion. So powerfully is my mind impressed with the subject, that I cannot forbear adding my conviction, that sabbath-breaking is not only a great national evil, but a fruitful source of immorality among

all classes, and pre-eminently of profligacy and crime among the lower orders."

From "The Lord's Day Record."

ARE WE SAVED BY WORKS?

A CLERGYMAN, whose ministry has been greatly blessed as a means, under the influences of the Holy Spirit, to guide sinners into the way of truth, informed his congregation, not long ago, that he had been sent for, on the previous evening, to attend one of his occasional hearers, who was sinking under a gradual, but mortal, disease.

Upon taking a seat at her bedside, he found her very calm in the consciousness of approaching death. He immediately led the conversation to her own condition; and, adverting to the quiet state of her mind, expressed his hope that the peace which she evidenced was built upon the only sure foundation. She said that "she felt perfectly resigned and peaceful in the prospect of her dissolution, that she had no doubt or misgiving upon the subject of her future happiness. She had always done her duty while she was in health; she had injured no one; she might have committed faults, as others had done, but had always been sorry for them afterwards; and therefore she had no cause for fear respecting her eternal salvation."

These are, as nearly as they are remembered, the expres sions of the minister, in communicating to his flock the account of this awful interview.

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It was the melancholy reality of a sinner fatally resting upon works, notwithstanding the declaration of God in his eternal truth, and justice, and happiness. By grace are ye saved," Eph. ii. 8, 9. What prayers he earnestly offered for her rescue from this awful delusion of Satan, and that she might be enlightened by the Holy Spirit in "the truth as it is in Jesus" what awakening instruction and exhortation he administered to remove this heathen darkness; what humiliation he personally felt, that his ministry had been so feeble, and his supplications at a throne of grace, for a blessing upon his labours, so weak, while one even of his occasional hearers remained in such ignorance of the Gospel; and what was the close of her mortal scene-shall be passed over in silence.

But, my beloved brother, my beloved sister, look off from this poor deluded sufferer, and fix a heart-searching, soulpenetrating eye upon yourself. Are you in health? are you in sickness? are you in the spring of life? are you in the winter of death? Now is your season for asking yourself, "Am I trusting to be saved by grace? free, unmerited, sovereign grace; grace only, grace exclusively; by the blood

of Jesus, the atoning sacrifice; by Jesus made unto me, Wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption? By the Father, reconciled to me in the Son of his love? By God the Holy Ghost, showing forth Christ within me?

If you can humbly, and honestly, and fervently say "Yea" 'to these inquiries, then I have no further question with you. Go on your way rejoicing. Await the happy summons to the presence of your Lord, assured that, with you, as with St. Paul, "to die is gain;" to be with Jesus in glory, after a few days or years of pilgrimage, is your bright and still brightening prospect.

But pause, and examine yourself closely, that you give not a hasty, and self-flattering answer. This poor dying creature concluded that her works would save her, and possessed a false security, and a delusive calmness, which, if the Bible be true, would end in condemnation. She saw not, what the believer must see, that her composure was not a symptom of spiritual health, but of spiritual death. Are you quite sure, that you are not leaning somewhat upon the same rotten staff of works, upon which this poor woman was leaning? Leaning a little, ever so little, upon being "saved by works." Do not be angry at this statement of such a possibility; I have so constantly detected something of the same sort in myself, so often seen it in others, who have been highly praised for being good religious men and women," that I must press the question home on you.

Religion, the faith as it is in Jesus-for faith is religion, and faith only is religion, the germ and root of all that truly savours of religion; the heart of that tree, whose spreading branches reach towards heaven, while its shade throws around a grateful coolness for those who rest beneath it, and whose fruits fall in rich abundance for nourishment and refreshment-religion is humble, lowly, kind, and gentle.

But there is something else very like religion, which is not humble and lowly, kind and gentle. And this something else, wearing the garb, the outward garb of religion, is very often mistaken for religion itself. It may be seen often at public worship, at family prayer, and even at the sacrament. It attends Bible meetings; it circulates the Scriptures; it is a subscriber to charitable institutions; it is often engaged in district visitings; it is acquainted with this pious minister; it attends the church or chapel of that good man; it has the volume of inspiration, perhaps, in every room of the house, even manuscript notes and references in the margin of many a page; it writes and prints religious works: is never seen at plays or concerts; avoids large and promiscuous parties; associates with a chosen few.

"Well!" (I can imagine a reader saying) "Well, and are not these things very good?"

Yes, very good indeed; but they are not religion. They are works, and he who dares to rest his hope of salvation upon ten thousand times ten thousand such works as these is lost for ever. "By grace are ye saved."

There are many who go regularly to church, and say, "Amen," to every prayer, and read aloud every response, and listen attentively to every word of the sermon, but who are neither humble, lowly, kind, or gentle. Going to public worship, therefore, cannot in itself be religion.

There are many who have family prayer every night, and every morning, who are angry if a single member of the family is absent, who read with great emphasis, and pray with great fluency, but who are proud and unforgiving. Family prayer, therefore, cannot be religion.

There are many, who, month after month, attend at the table of the Lord, and consider that this solemn mystery will do them some good, or clear them from some guilt, they know not exactly how, while they trust to something indefinite, which they call the mercy of God, for conveying to them the benefit, whatever it may be, and however it may be communicated. The sacrament of the Lord's Supper, therefore, is not religion.

The whole routine of christian observances might be thus truly characterized, as being in the case of multitudes, neither religion nor the fruits of religion, but of something else, with only the outward semblance of religion. "By grace ye are saved."

Are you humbled for sin, sins past, sins indwelling, but pardoned, and kept under by the spirit of grace? sins which no human creature may suspect, or human scrutiny detect; but which you, who have been taught the extent of the evil imaginations of the natural heart, know to be mixed in with your fallen nature? Have you communion, secret, constant communion with your Lord? Do you dwell willingly, and joyfully in his presence? Do you withdraw from the world and from promiscuous society, conscious of the vanity of both? Do you seek the presence of Jesus, and find that He is a substitute for all things, while nothing can be a substitute for Him? Do you see in the fulness of the atonement of Jesus, and the freeness of the salvation of Jesus, your only acceptance at a throne of grace, your only hope of a crown of glory? Does your life, in some measure, respond to your faith? If we humbly pray for grace, we have the promise that grace shall be imparted. As we are saved by grace, so must we be sanctified by grace. Lord Jesus, shed abundantly upon us thy grace, that we may live to thy glory.

A WARNING TO DRUNKARDS.

ON Thursday the 28th of April last the wife of a tradesman, of W, in the county of B-, sent for a quantity of spirits when her husband was absent, which she drank, being much addicted thereto for several years. When the family retired to rest, on being rebuked by her husband, she not only denied the act, but wished that she might never open her eyes any more if she had done thus. On the next day her husband, on finding her eyes closed, and that she could not be raised from her slumber, sent for a medical gentleman, who declared that she was dying. And, awful to relate, she never spoke or opened her eyes after she had thus falsely declared her innocence on the evening before.

M.

SELF-DECEPTION; OR, DELUSIVE GROUNDS OF HOPE. OUR popish merit-mongers are like the elders of the Jews, who went to Christ in behalf of the centurion, for his sick servant. They besought him earnestly, as though they might not be denied, and they tell him, forsooth, that the centurion is worthy of so much favour as that the Lord Jesus should come to him, and heal his servant: for proof whereof, they allege two strong reasons, (like our papists:) one is, he loveth our nation; another is, he hath built us a synagogue. So plead our papists; "We are worthy, O Lord, of thy favour, we have deserved so much at thy hands. Such a one that is now gone hath deserved so much, as that thou shouldest receive his soul, for he loved us well while he lived; he was an honest man, he made us good cheer, he kept a good house, he filled our bellies and our purses too! Besides, he hath built us a synagogue, goodly churches, and chapels of ease; he mended our highways, he erected such a college, such a friary, and such a nunnery! Again, such a man is a good catholic, Lord, for he helped the priest to say mass, he gave his consent to poisoning such a king, and the murdering of such another; he did what he could to despatch all christian princes, because they are not of the pope's religion; so zealous a catholic was he. But, Lord, he made a conscience of every thing; he would not eat a bit of flesh, no, nor even an egg in Lent, or upon a Friday; he would never go out before he had crossed himself before and behind; his house was never without a crucifix, nor his windows without a picture of the Trinity; a number of good works more he did, which the tally will not hold, and those are for his honest neighbours, who will give anything for them. Therefore, Lord, thou must of necessity receive his soul when he is dead, or else thou dost him great wrong." And thus we hear how papists plead, like the elders of the Jews for the centurion