tural pride can stoop to receive that lesson of humility-how long before it can endure to acquiesce in it!

The child of whom this narrative speaks was from the age of three years constantly inquiring about religion. The first thing that appears to have made a deep impression on his mind regarding this all-important subject, was a baptism which he witnessed at Mr. W.'s chapel, where he was in the habit of attending. He was very fond of Mr. Wallace, "because," as he used to say, "he was a good man ;" and so delighted in hearing him, that no reward could be offered him greater than a promise to take him to chapel whenever there might be service during the week. His attention was suddenly arrested, and his mind engaged, on these occasions. Once when between four and five years of age, he heard a sermon at Bethel Chapel, in which reference was made to the strong hold, where all may enter in and be safe. When returning home, he said to his mother, "I know what the minister meant by the strong hold; he meant, that if we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ we should be saved. And I think, mother, I believe in him. It is very wicked not to, when he was nailed to a tree for us, through our sins. If any person was to say to me, Will you worship the golden image? I would say not. I would rather be chopped up in pieces, or burnt, or any thing ever so shocking, before I would believe in any thing but my Savior." A short time before this, his mother had an alarming attack of cholera; and being told one morning that she had not been expected to live during the night, he came to her, and said, "Mother, you are ill." She answered, "Yes, my dear, I was afraid I was going to die and leave you." "Well, mother," said he, "if you had died, where do you think you would have gone to? Do you think you would have been taken to heaven? for it would have made me very sorry to think my mother was gone to the dreadful hell." The love of this infant for all things relating to religion, was very remarkable; and his intelligence on this subject was far beyond his years. The sun of righteousness had indeed arisen

* On this occasion he said, he would try to keep the commandments, and if he lived to be a man, he would be baptized again.

on him, and matured to fruit the bud, which, at his age, if visible at all, is usually only beginning to open into flower. This maturity was observable not only in his remarks, but in his general character; one distinguishing feature of which was his love of truth. Precious as is the recollection of many of his childish, but interesting and intelligent observations to his mother, they would afford her but little comfort for the loss of her beloved child, had not his whole behavior been such as to convince her, that they were not the result of convictions and feelings transitory and fleeting as the early cloud and the morning dew, which, unproductive of any real or important effect, soon passes away, but were spoken from the abundance of the heart. The day he was five years old, his mother gave him a Testament, which he could not then read; but his desire to learn was so great, that in six months he could make sense of it, and by his next birthday could read it very tolerably. This became a source of great pleasure to him. He once said, after reading the life of Rolls Plumbe, which was a very favorite book with him, “Mother, I think this was the best boy in the whole world. I should like my friends to know, if I was dead, that I' was gone to heaven; and I will try to pray to God, so if I should not live to be a man, they might know I was gone to heaven when I died, for all people go to heaven who pray and believe." His disposition was remarkably amiable, and, as far as it was in his power, he delighted to give to the poor, frequently repeating on these occasions, "not more than others I deserve, but God has given me more."

When the school rooms in connexion with Mr. Reed's chapel were about to be built, he was asked if he would like to subscribe; he directly brought all his treasure, though it amounted only to sixpence. A petition, too, was brought from a widow, which he heard read; and after giving his sixpence, he turned to his brother, saying, "Won't you give the poor children your money too, Tom; for you know the Almighty could take our father in a minute if he pleased."

When only five, he could repeat all Dr. Watts's hymns for children, and give an account of most of the principal characters mentioned in the Bible and Testament, and it was his great

delight to teach his brother, who was younger than himself, all he knew. One day, when he came home from chapel, he saw Thomas playing with a favorite toy, and going up to him, he said, Oh, Thomas, it is very wicked to play with toys on a Sunday. Well," replied Thomas, "how am I to know better, sir; I am not taken to any place of worship every Sunday morning, as you are." "Well but, dear," said the child, "you do not always sit still, you know; and now that brother has told you it is wicked, let him put it away, and do not have it any more on a Sunday." This regard for the Sabbath day was as much shown in his own conduct, as in his care for that of others. This is another proof, that a love to God, and a desire of pleasing him, was the real feeling of his heart and the guide of his conduct. Religion is not a thing to be thought of only on Sunday, or when we are engaged in reading our Bibles or in prayer; it must dwell in our hearts, and influence all our actions, if we would have it to be acceptable in the eyes of a jealous God;—just as love for ourselves does not come into our minds only when we are thinking of escaping some danger, or avoiding some suffering, or procuring some pleasure, or at any particular fixed time -it is a feeling which we never lose; our minds are not always engaged with the distinct thought, what shall I do to please myself, but all that we do has a reference to this end, all our desires and consequently all our efforts are for one object, to be happy; -so should it be with regard to God. We need not always be saying, in so many words, What shall I do to please him? but we should have such love to him, that all our actions and thoughts (for thought is the spring of action) should be such as to please him; and the only way to acquire this habit of mind, is never voluntarily to do any thing, whether it be important or not, which we know to be displeasing to him, and above all things, to be instant in prayer, for every good gift (and power to love God is indeed a gift, since we have it not of ourselves) cometh down from the Father of light, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning; but it must be asked for before it can be obtained. "Ye have not," says the apostle James, “because ye ask not.”

But one more instance of the love of this interesting infant

for the keeping holy of the Sabbath day. His father was sent for one Sunday morning, to see a relation who had been taken. ill, and he took the child with him. They reached the house about 11 o'clock, when they found the elder children engaged in washing the younger ones. Edward immediately noticed this. "What a time," said he, "to be washing children! we are washed the first thing on a Sunday, and sent to a place of worship by this time; and so we ought." This relation continued ill nearly six months, when at length he died. The dear child saw his mother weeping one day, and going to her, he said, "Do not cry, mother, for you know the Almighty will provide for the children in some way; and if my uncle has been a good man, why, their loss will be his gain; but if he has not, you may well cry."

On

The month following, he was himself seized with an illness which proved fatal. He seems to have been sensible of the possibility of such a termination of the attack, for the same day he said, "Mother, it will be a bad thing for you, if you lose me so soon after my uncle." He rapidly grew worse, and continued in a state almost of insensibility during the whole week. the following Sabbath, (just a week from his first seizure,) finding he knew those around him, his mother said, "My dear, this is Sunday;" he directly tried to raise himself, and being assisted, he put his hands together, and attempted to repeat the hymn, "Behold, a stranger at the door,

He gently knocks, has knock'd before;"

but was unable to continue. In the course of the day he said, "I seem to have had some very strange dreams, and I am afraid I have taken a great many things without asking a blessing." This he never omitted when he was sensible; for though his voice was almost gone from the first day of his attack, yet he would always be raised up, and putting his little hands together, would ask for a blessing from his God. When he was too weak to pray, he said, "Mother, I am so weak and ill, that I cannot pray scarce at all; but I hope you pray to God for me." At another time he said, "I am dying, and going to a better home and a better father; but I should not like my friends to weep

for me." Again he said, "Oh, mother, I am going to leave you; oh, where shall I go? I hope the Almighty will take me when I die; I hope he will take me to heaven. I am in great pain, but the doctor cannot ease me; but if I should ever get better, mother, I will buy you a Bible, and if you should die and go to heaven, I will pray to the Almighty that I may be good, so that I may go to heaven too." For nearly a month he continued in this state, and suffered dreadfully, but he never uttered. a murmur. Such patience would be admirable in any individual, but in an infant only five years and eleven months, it is indeed wonderful. The last audible words he uttered were, "Good-by, mother; you are going to lose me now, for I am going to be the Lord's own boy." He died on Monday morning, January 3d, 1835

For the Mother's Magazine.

A VOICE FROM MISSIONARIES.

"Brothers, pray for us."

THE family state was instituted by Jehovah, who promises to "turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest," says he, "I smite the earth with a curse."

This remarkable language seems to imply, that the latter-day glory is to be ushered in by a revival of family religion. May we not then expect that this prophecy will be especially fulfilled, if commenced in the families of our missionaries?

With no ordinary feelings of pleasure did we hail the proposal, that an hour every Saturday evening be observed as a season of prayer for maternal associations in heathen lands; and it is the object of this article, to spread the knowledge of this concert, and to request all Christians, and mothers especially, to unite in it. While our own offspring are basking beneath the bright rays of the sun of righteousness, shall not we, beloved sisters, render to the Lord for his multiplied mercies, not only the sacrifice of praise, but that also of intercession for the child