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cultivated by education, he seemed to be always superior to misfortune, and particularly when he brought to its aid the power of the religion of the cross. He had known what it was to live in affluence and splendour, and at such a season to be honoured by the world: and he had also seen that affluence takes to itself wings and flies away; and himself deserted by his former friends. Yet amidst all he was scarcely ever known to allude to these misfortunes, and never to murmur at the dispensations of Providence.

The object of this article is, however, rather to exhibit the manner of his death than to portray his life. It is not, at the present day, uncommon to hear (and whose heart does not rejoice that it is so?) of the triumphant death of the believer of the cross; but it is a rare occurrence to hear of one whose death was like that of Mr. J. During a confinement of two months previous to that event, he had never been heard to express a wish to live; even before his disease assumed a threatening appearance, he said to a friend who was visiting him, "I have less to bind me to the earth than most men, and I declare to you that if I knew the sentence to call me to my judge were to come within six hours, my heart would not fear." We have said that Mr. J's death was uncommonit was so in this respect-that it was not marked by those exultations and rejoicings which some display, but by that continued, calm and steady faith, which might with propriety be denominated "unmoveable,” and which overcometh all things. To a friend, who inquired the state of his mind and of his frame, he said, "I fear nothing, frames are pleasant, but I never trust to them; my confidence is rather in the word of God." "Hath he not said it, and shall he not bring it to pass?" was the ground of his expectation. On one occasion, when he requested a friend to pray, he was asked if there was any thing in particular which he desired: " Only," said he, "that I may be submissive." To a similar question from a minister of the gospel who visited him, he said yes!

"O for a closer walk with God,

A calm and heavenly frame."

And being interrogated as to what he thought of Christ, he said "he is the only ground of my confidence, and through him alone I hope for eternal life." "And can you, Mr. J. say," continued the inquirer, "that with all the afflictive dispensations of divine Providence towards you, which I understand are many, that it is good that you have been thus afflicted. "Yes, indeed, I can," replied he, and repeated with emphasis, "indeed I can." Surprise having been expressed by a visiter that not a doubt had intruded upon his peace for so long a time, he said, "I do not know but the tempter did assail me once, but I determined never for a moment to listen. I have made my peace with God, I trust. Christ has paid a debt which I never could. I am a Christian, or I am not. If I am not, why should God have made me so often instrumental in benefitting the souls of my fellow-beings? I do know that I love holiness, and hate sin; and this I have always told you was to me a greater evidence than any sudden frame or feeling. A female friend, with whom he had long been intimate, visited him a few days previous to his death, at a time when he was able to sit up and converse. At the close of her visit, he observed that she was somewhat affected by parting, and said, "do not, M-, give way to your feelings, either now or when I am gone. Do not permit yourself to mourn as those that have no hope; for, recollect, there is a place where there shall be no more sorrow, nor crying, nor pain; but above all no more sin. May the blessings of heaven above, and of the earth beneath, be yours-farewell!"

A young friend, who was at his bedside frequently, during his illness, observing that his strength had nearly failed him, requested that Mr. J. would speak to him once more before he died; to which he said, "no one knows the foundation of the Christian religion better than you do, and therefore I need add nothing, only to desire that in zeal, in knowledge, and in love, you will be firm;—be firm, and never suffer yourself to be troubled with any theories of religion. I have examined all religions, and all theories of religion, both ancient and modern, and have found that all, except that of our Lord Jesus Christ, are absurdities; and all philosophical speculations vain. Farewell! may we meet in heaven, although we should not meet again on earth.”

After passing a sleepless and restless night, a short time before his death, his brother came to his bedside in the morning, and inquired if his confidence was still placed upon God; to which he replied, “Oh! yes! my dear brother, what have I to fear?" His constant and earnest prayer was, that he might retain his reason to the last moment. "My wish is," said he, "not only that I may retain my reason, but in the language of Lord Malcombe,

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The words in italics he had altered to suit the occasion. On the morning of the day of his death, he was for some time apparently engaged in earnest prayer, when he suddenly exclaimed, to his brother, “I have a piece of news to communicate, which will rejoice your heart." "What is it?" said his brother. "The suit is ended," replied he, "and the result favourable." The only words he uttered with distinctness after this were, 66 Brother, this is dying." "Are you happy?" "Perfectly; what have I to fear?"

Three weeks before his death he had written the following obituary notice of himself; and after it was finished, remarked that his "house was now in order."

"DIED-Mr. Thomas Jarman, formerly of Bristol, England, aged 57, after a residence in this country of about four years; during which he had formed the warmest attachments of friendship, and felt to his last moments the deepest sense of obligation for the kindness of his friends on this side the Atlantic, while he dearly loved his native country."

THE WHITE BOOK.

THE opening of the White Book was an era in the history of our Sunday School. It was an anniversary to which, the boys looked forward with hope and delight. As the exercises were novel, the children were pleased; and as they formed the principle characters themselves, they felt interested.

Mr. J. was by profession a Lawyer, and hence the comparison of the end of his trials to the termination of a law suit.

The anniversary was held in the month of May. To have the desired effect upon the scholars, they should all attend; and if the day was stormy, many of the smaller children would be prevented. During the week preceding, many a wish escaped the lips of the teachers, and many á prayer was silently breathed by the superintendents, that the day might prove favourable. With joy, sincerely felt, did the conductors of the Sunday School hail the approach of a calm, serene sabbath morning in May. As the clouds that hung over the eastern sky were dispelled by the rising orb of day, and the morning mists vanished in the ethereal serenity of a cloudless sky, so thought they, the rays of knowledge through the instrumentality of our Sunday Schools are dispelling the clouds of ignorance and superstition, and the mists of depravity and vice are fast fading before the rising splendour of the Sun of Righteousness. To one, even uninterested either in the day or its proceedings, surely such a morning as this would have awakened the softer sympathies of his soul, and caused him to long for some object, on which he might bestow the love, the gratitude, the charity, that such a scene as this would certainly have created. The vast vault of heaven, too much for man's proud eye to take in at one glance, would have made his soul swell by its magnificent grandeur; the sun beams stealing through the rich dewy foliage of the trees would have reached the inmost recesses of his soul in all their softened beauty; the balmy air, rich with all the perfume of the spring as he inhaled it and almost held his breath, lest it should escape, would have communicated to his feelings a tranquil, yet overpowering pleasure; the melody of some feathered songster, as he shook from his downy wings the dew of the morning, would have made delight beat high in his breast; and should some startled bird, frightened from his native bower, wing his way far on the bosom of the air, and disappear in the blue of day, how sublime would be his emotion as his mind followed on the trackless wayuntil, far removed from mortal ken, it at once seemed to stand in the presence of Him who had created works so wonderful! Would he not, under the influence of such passions, be eager to perform every virtuous action his heart might dictate? What then would be the feelings of one deeply interested in the coming

exercises of the day; every object that met his attention would remind him of the duty he had to perform; of the charge that lay nearest his heart. The sun just risen, and now shedding his rays on all that part of the world turned towards him; equally upon the sterile sands of an Arabian desert, and the fertile fields of a land flowing with milk and honey, would remind him of the bible affording to all turned towards it, the poor equally with the rich, the ignorant equally with the learned, the light of life, and the hope of salvation. The calmness of the air would be to him

like the peace of that religion he had wished to inculcate; the serenity of the sky-the purity of its precepts; the balmy fragrance of the air-the healing virtue of its doctrines; and while beholding the opening flower, just spreading its varied hues, and yielding its sweetness to the breath of heaven, he would fancy it appeared like the first dawn of religion in their minds, and he would imagine that this day was he to receive the reward-the first fruits of his labour of love.

The appearance of the sabbath in either the city or the country, will ever give rise to many pleasing emotions. The school, which is the subject of this paper, was located in the upper part of the city. Although no stream here meandered in stillness and beauty on the one hand, nor verdant meads spread their rich covering on the other; though our path to the place of worship lay not among flowers, nor by fields rich with the blessings of the labour of the husbandman; though no village spire could be seen overtopping the bending willows that surrounded it, a fit emblem of religion rising above the humbling mortifications of this life; though our ears were not delighted with the matin songs of a thousand melodious warblers, nor the solemn sound of a single bell now breaking upon the ear, now echoed fainter from the distant hills, until fancy herself sends back the last sound to the entranced listener; nor the extended landscape all bespangled with dew, and glittering in the morning sunbeam : yet the undisturbed silence that reigns in the streets of a city on a sabbath; the echo of the step, the very countenance of the passer by, the chiming of many bells, all remind the observer of the day of rest. We seem to be more susceptible of the beauties of mature on that day; the trees planted here and there in the

streets, seem clothed in their brightest dress; the song of the robin, yellow bird, or martin, that on this day only undisturbed, fearlessly carols nature's orison to his Creator, sounds unusually melodious; the contrast between the busy hum and composed bustle of a week day, and the solitary stillness of the sabbath, bestows upon the mind a sedate composure, and gives a contemplative religious tone to the feelings. The difference between the dirty, squalid appearance, and noisy and unruly conduct of children during the week, and their neat, tidy and cleanly dress, their orderly, decent behaviour on the sabbath, cannot fail to strike the beholder, particularly if he be interested, very forcibly. This Sunday School had been in operation five years; the salutary effects of its operations were plainly to be seen. Instead of crowds of idle, noisy boys, loitering round the corners of the streets, disturbing and disgracing the neighbourhood by their shameful conduct, scarce a boy was to be found during the hours of divine service: and the children in the vicinity, if not better clad, looked much better than the generality of the children of the poorer classes; the parents took more care to keep them neat and tidy.

The hour for opening the school was at hand, many of the scholars were already in their seats; they had begun to collect much earlier than usual; and if any one had observed them as they approached the school, he would have suspected that something more than ordinary was about to take place; inform him that it was the day of reward, and with little discernment he could have pointed out those who expected to receive a premium. [To be continued.]

REMARKS ON SUNDAY SCHOOL ANNIVERSARIES.

It is a subject deeply to be regretted, as it is true, that many undertakings commenced in the purest motives, and of the most heavenly design, soon become vitiated, through the passions of men, and so natural is this current of human affairs, through the prevalency of sin, that the wise and good, with a very commendable prudence, have ever been cautious in establishing any

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