A TRUE STORY OF A POOR MAN THAT DID MUCH

GOOD.

WILLIAM was a poor stocking weaver in a small village in Notts. Having been brought to the knowledge of the truth himself, he felt most anxious for the spiritual welfare of all around him; but what was he to do? He was very poor, and getting old; and, with working hard all the week, he could scarcely provide a living for his family; therefore he could not give up his work. There was no place of worship in William's village, nor was there a single person who had any care for the souls of the people: the people were very wicked; and the youngest children, as well as the oldest men and women, hardly ever opened their lips without swearing. Like Lot, William's righteous soul was vexed from day to day with the filthy conversation of the wicked," and he determined to lose no time in attempting to show his neighbours the evil of their ways.

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Accordingly, his first object was to teach the children; for," he thought, "their minds are tender, and are more likely to receive good impressions than those who are grown up hardened in sin; besides this, the children may be made instrumental in converting their parents." As William sat working at his loom from day to day, he used to entice those poor children, who were playing by his cottage door, to go to him; and he talked to them kindly, and taught them to read, so that they began to be very fond of going to old William, and by degrees he had his cottage filled with children; and though he was hard at work all the time, he contrived to teach them.

His next wish was to establish a Sunday-school, and on a Sunday his cottage overflowed with scholars; yet all this time he had no one to help him. William's great difficulty was to get books for the children; he taught them to read out of his old Bible, but now he wished to provide them with Bibles of their own. However, he was determined not to be baffled with a trifle, and contrived to put by a penny every week from his scanty pittance to buy books; and when any one gave him any money, he put it to his savings for this purpose.

When William had collected a few shillings, he went to a lady who he thought might be likely to tell him where he could buy books cheap; she kindly undertook to order some for him from the Religious Tract Society in London, and then poor William was quite set up, Still he continued

saving his penny until he wanted more books; and he bought tracts, and distributed them to his neighbours.

Every one loved and respected old William; and it was no

small satisfaction to him to witness a decided improvement in the village: an oath was now seldom heard. His cottage now overflowed with children, so that there was not room for half to get in; and he began to think what could be done! he could not send any away; he must speak a word to all. Well, he went to some ladies in the neighbourhood, told them his distress, and they, out of respect for William's character, subscribed and built him a school-room.

How this delighted this poor man's heart can be more easily imagined than described; his heart did indeed overflow with gratitude to his heavenly Master, who had so helped him; and he felt more zealous than ever to win souls to Christ, and to be a faithful labourer in his vineyard. Now William assembled his children in his new school-room on a Sunday; and after having taught them, he read, prayed, and expounded the Scriptures to those who liked to attend; for they lived many miles from any church: his room was always crowded; and the fruits of his labours will be seen in the last day.

William is now no more; he died at a very advanced age; but will long be remembered by all who knew him. In the village where he lived there is now a church built, and weekly lectures are given in the school-room where he taught. How true is it, "the memory of the just is blessed!"

This simple history needs no comment. May all who read it be stirred up to a sense of their duty, and ask themselves, "What am I doing for God? He expects me to work for him, and am I seeking my own ease and comfort, and neglecting to glorify him?" No one who has been led to feel the value of his own soul can rest satisfied without doing what they can to show careless sinners the danger of their state, and calling upon them to repent: the most uneducated person will do this, if the grace of God is in his heart. Say not, "I know not what to do;" if you have a will to work for God, you will find a way; pray to him to teach you; say, "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?"

My dear friends, are any who read this paper engaged in instructing the young? Go on; look to Christ for wisdom, patience, and all you want; think of the privilege of being allowed to work for God. Be not disheartened that you see so little fruit of your labour; the seed you sow may take deep root in many a young heart, and yet you may never know it till you reach the realms above. Go on then in faith; remember you are accountable to God for your faithfulness, though not for your usefulness.

From the Friendly Visitor.

USEFULNESS OF THE TRACT SOCIETY'S PUBLICATIONS. Burder's Village Sermons.

"OUR loan tract circulator in the villages of Essex," says a correspondent, "had a new set given him lately, one of the tracts in each cover being a village sermon. The people are so pleased with the sermons, that double the usual number were purchased from the first week's exchange. It would appear, that in all the agricultural villages round this neighbourhood, the preference is given to plain religious doctrinal tracts, such as the sermons, rather than to narratives. The village sermons will, I am sure, be most willingly received if freely circulated; and thus George Burder, being dead, may yet speak the word of life to thousands."

Ireland.

A correspondent writes:-"The poor, ignorant inhabitants of this country say, that the Society's tracts are 'the best thing that has been invented of late for the poor; they receive and read them with eagerness, and in not a few instances with benefit to their souls."

Rotherham Meeting.

Mr. Buck gave an account of the usefulness of No. 76, "Swearer's Prayer," at Weymouth, and detailed the particulars of an interesting conversion in his Bible class, through the " Anxious Inquirer for Salvation directed." A youth had once been most hardened in the ways of sin, and read the infidel works of Carlile and others. He was brought to the Bible class, and, when his mind became a little anxious, the book just mentioned had been blessed in leading him to the Saviour.

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Yorkshire.

The following letter, enclosing a bank-note for 5l., was recently received for the use of the Religious Tract Society:'From a Yorkshire vicar, in approbation of the sentiments contained in the Christian Spectator,' No. 10, On the Nature and Position of some of the principal Errors in Religion."

Lyons.

"I am happy to communicate," says a correspondent, "the

following fact:-Among the recent converts to evangelical religion here, is a man who has been for many years a labourer in a dock-yard, and who was formerly addicted to violent language and swearing, as many of his companions are to the present day. The moral (or rather immoral and irreligious) condition of the latter very much distress him at present; and he has frequently addressed them on the subject, and exhorted them to repent and amend; but having the misfortune to be very hard of hearing, the discussions consequent upon such observations are sometimes very irksome; which circumstance has very naturally led our friend to think of some other means of carrying his benevolent intentions into effect. Nothing could be so appropriate for this purpose as religious tracts; and with these, having been liberally supplied ourselves, we readily furnished him. They were zealously and judiciously, and, I doubt not, prayerfully distributed; and it has pleased God to manifest almost immediately, in two instances, that his servant has not laboured in vain. Two of the most daring among these blasphemers, who had been morally, to say the least, as deaf to our friend's admonition as he was physically to their replies, carefully perused the tracts, and, wonderful to relate, their replies and their blasphemies have ceased together,—their lips now utter consent."

Batavia.

By all means," says the Rev. W. H. Medhurst, "send us out paper without delay. The stock we have now on hand will not last us two months; and with our large iron press, and two lithographic presses at work, we work off at the rate of a ream a-day. The demand for tracts in the Malay, Javanese, Madurese, and other languages, is daily increasing; and as ours is the only missionary printing establishment in Dutch India, we have to supply tracts for all nations and denominations included within the range of the Archipelago: besides the Chinese, which is printed on paper of a peculiar kind. Our office never displayed such activity as now, and never did we stand so much in need of your help. As for the demand, it increases with the supply; and the more the natives see and read of our tracts, the more they cry out for them. We have now come to a resolution to give away none, unless the parties applying will first read, and we generally make a practice of reading a portion of the tracts aloud wherever we go, by which we excite their curiosity more and more, while at the same time we endeavour to impart instruction.

UPON THE QUENCHING OF IRON IN WATER.

HARK how that iron quenched in the water hisseth, and makes that noise, which, whilst it was cold or dry, it would never make; we cannot quench hot and unruly desires in youth without some mutiny, and rebellious opposition.

Corruptions cannot be subdued without some reluctation, and that reluctation cannot be without some tumult: after some short noise, and smoke, and bubbling, the metal is quiet, and holds to the form whereinto it is beaten. O God, why should it trouble me to find my good endeavours resisted, for the little brunt of a change, whilst I am sure this insurrection shall end in a happy peace?

UPON THE SIGHT OF A GRAVE DIGGED UP.

The earth, as it is a great devourer, so also it is a great preserver too; liquors and flesh are therein long kept from putrefying and are rather heightened in their spirits by TRACT MAG., THIRD SERIES, NO. 75. MARCH, 1840.

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