as I step out of the train, after listening to him, that those words of our Saviour, "the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light," were not only true in his age and among the Jews, but in our age also, and among ourselves. It is rare, indeed, that I meet with a professing Christian half so colloquial about eternal things as Mr. H-is about temporal things; or half so deeply in earnest about the salvation of his soul as Mr. His in filling his purse. Were he but a Christian in truth, and not in name only, and did he but exhibit the same earnestness in heavenly things as he now does in those of earth, I would hold him forth as a bright example to the Christian reader. As it is, I can only say, "Christian, copy thou the deep earnestness which Mr. H- and the class to which he belongs exhibit on every hand; 'Give all diligence to make thy calling and election sure, and in so doing thou shalt never fall.' The prize thou seekest is a more glorious one than that which is sought by the men of the world, and is therefore worth incomparably greater exertion; their reward is of the earth, earthy; thine is of heaven. Strive, therefore, for it, in such a manner that thou mayest be enabled to say with the apostle Paul, Forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus,' Phil. iii. 13, 14. But here is another character, Mr. S. His usual salutation is: "Well, here we are again, once more. Bound for London, I suppose? London is the place to attract all men. If one has nothing to do there, we must go sometimes. You are on business, I suppose? I, as usual, am for pleasure. I think I shall go and have a peep at the Colosseum, or the Diorama, or perhaps I may take it into my head to go and see the Chinese Exhibition. Having nothing to do, time hangs heavily upon one's hands. I do not know what I should do, indeed, if it were not for the railway. It's pleasant to take a trip by it to see some of the London exhibitions, and then afterwards to have a chat with a friend or two. It makes one happy and contented; otherwise I fear I should be as mopish as an owl. One gets tired of seeing the same things over and over again, which you are obliged to do in the country; but for the railway, I think I should have taken up my abode in town, where you meet with something new at every turn you take. I am now, however, pretty well contented with a country life : I can leave it, and be in town in a few minutes early in the morning, and I can return in the evening with my head full of new schemes and events wherewith to amuse my friends." And Mr. S may likewise be taken as the type of a large portion of mankind. He, like Mr. H-, is always active, but then he is active only in seeking pleasure; His great concern is, how to pass his time pleasantly. Having a good income he feels that he has no occasion to trouble his head about business; but then he feels, also, that unless he is actually in pursuit of some object, from whence he may hope for gratification, he must be miserable. Time, as he says, hangs heavily upon his hands; and when he feels this, his rule is to take a trip to London, for diversion of melancholy. And I can assure my readers, that Mr. S- makes the most of his time when he is there. His "head is so full" of what he has seen and heard, that if I meet him on his return, as I frequently do, his tongue is going from the time we take our seats in the box, till the time that we step out again. And he not only describes what he has seen and heard, but he intersperses his descriptions with judicious and pertinent remarks thereon, thus demonstrating that he has seen and heard to some purpose. He never fails to amuse and instruct my mind when I meet him; and yet I invariably feel, as I part with him in the evening, that he might with great propriety, adopt the language of Titus, the Roman emperor, "Diem perdidi,”—“ I have lost a day." Man was not made for himself alone; there is not one living, but God hath put many things into his possession, to be used, improved, and managed by him for the common good and interest. The rich, and those who have leisure are especially called upon to become beneficial to their fellow-creatures. Would that Mr. S-, and the class to which he belongs, would think seriously of this. If the man who hunts after diversion from melancholy in the busy scenes of life would only turn his thoughts to the welfare of others, and the relief of the fatherless and the widow, depend upon it he would find more real and lasting pleasure than in witnessing all the sights which the great city of London offers to his view. It is given to all to do good, but what golden opportunities has that man, on whom God has showered REMARKABLE FACTS IN ENGLISH HISTORY. otherwise engaged, and that he would put him in the way of seeing all the world in the British metropolis, which he would probably never see to such advantage again. Such an offer, especially when seconded by such influences, proved irresistible, and the young German gladly followed them to London. He was there speedily introduced to, and, ere long, distinguished by, the princess Charlotte, whose projected alliance with the prince of Orange had recently before been broken off. Though the princess remarked him, however, it was nothing more at that time than a passing regard; for her thoughts were then more seriously occupied by another. Having received, at the same time, what he deemed some encouragement, the young soldier proposed to the princess, and was refused, and subsequently went to Vienna during the sitting of Congress at that place, where his susceptible heart was speedily engrossed in another tender affair. Invincible obstacles, however, presented themselves to the realization of the princess Charlotte's views, which had led to her first rejection of the gallant German, he received a friendly hint from London, to make his attention to the fair Austrian less remarkable: he returned to the English capital, again proposed to the English princess, and was accepted. It was prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg; and his subsequent destiny, and that of his family, exceeds all that romance has figured of the marvellous. He married the heiress of England. After her lamented end, he espoused a daughter of France. He was offered the throne of Greece; he accepted the crown of Belgium. In consequence of his elevation, one of his nephews has married the heiress of Portugal; another the queen of England; and the accidental fancy of a young German officer for a beautiful English lady has, in its alternate results, given three kingdoms to his family, placed on one of his relatives the crown of the greatest empire that has existed in the world since the fall of Rome, and restored to England, in hazardous times, the inestimable blessing of a direct line of succession to the throne.*-Alison's History of Europe. ONE circumstance of domestic interest in its origin, but of vast importance in its ultimate results, deserves to be recorded of this eventful period, (1814.) At Paris, during the stay of the allied monarchs, there was lord who had filled, with acknowledged ability, a high diplomatic situation at their head-quarters during the latter period of the war. His lady, of high rank, had joined him to partake in the festivities of that brilliant period, and with her a young relative, equally distinguished by her beauty and talents, then appearing in all the freshness of opening youth. A frequent visitor at this period in lord's family was a young officer, then an aide-de-camp to the grand duke Constantine, a younger brother, of an ancient and illustrious family in Germany, but who, like many other scions of nobility, had more blood in his veins than money in his pocket. The young aide-de-camp speedily was captivated by the graces of the English lady; and when the sovereigns were about to set out for England, whither lord was to accompany them, he bitterly lamented the scantiness of his finances, which prevented him from following in the train of acquainted with the elevated circles of English sosuch attraction. Lord- good-humour-ciety at that period, will have no difficulty in filling them up; and the facts may be relied on, as the edly told him he should always find a author had them from some of the parties immeplace at his table when he was not diately concerned.—Alison. It would be indelicate, during the life of some of the persons mentioned in the preceding curious narration, to give their names to the public. Those OLD HUMPHREY ON THE EXERCISE OF PRUDENCE. ONE of the rarest things in the world is prudence. Riches may be gained, learning acquired, reputation won, and all of them be possessed together, without prudence. The wise man says, "I Wisdom dwell with Prudence," Prov. viii. 12; and no wonder-for what wisdom would do without prudence I cannot tell. You may find two witty men, ten talented men, and twenty foolish men, before you will find one prudent man. Attend the mart, if prudence there be sold, But though, as I said, prudence is one of the rarest things in the world, and I might have added also, one of the most valuable yet is it by many estimated very lightly. This is much to be lamented; for even truth, with her open brow-zeal, with his ardent heart-love, with her melting eyes-and kindness, with her ever-helping hands, would form but an unhappy household without prudence. As few know the value of money better than those who are slenderly provided with it, so, on the same principle, I may not be unqualified to discourse on prudence. Without laying claim to a great amount of it myself, I may yet successfully recommend prudence to my neigh bours. Without prudence the human character is as a house built without mortar -its elements of strength and durability are not cemented together, and are not, therefore, for a moment to be relied on. As the imprudent boy outruns the butterfly he pursues, or crushes it in his covetous grasp, so does the imprudent man fail to realize the ends of his desires. Give him a hundred good qualities, the want of prudence will neutralize them all. He may have industry to obtain, frugality to amass, zeal to pursue, swiftness to overtake, courage to attack, and strength and skill to overcome, and yet his imprudence may rob him of his prize. One throw of the dice sometimes ruins the successful gamester, and one act of imprudence on the part of youth or maturity not unfrequently overclouds a fair prospect for ever. Having thus, as it were, by my remarks, placed prudence on a pedestal to attract particular attention, let me now proceed, in a more familiar manner, to show how frequently the exercise of pru dence is disregarded. If my memory did not fail me, I should find myself at little loss for illustrations, even from my own conduct-but as it is, that course need not be adopted. is of a very doubtful character; for as In many cases what we call prudence it equally liable to be approved and conwe judge of it by its success alone, so is demned. When a man on an excursion wraps himself up in a great coat, and takes with him a large umbrella, if the day proves stormy, and heavy rains descend, he is regarded as one possessing much forethought, discretion, and prudence; but should the day turn out to be very fair and sunny, the same person is laughed at for his over care and unnecessary precaution. If travelling on an unknown road, our companion boldly takes the path across the fields, and thereby saves us a mile of our distance, he becomes in our opinion a man of penetration and prudence; but woe betide him, if, by adopting this course, he gets boggled among cross roads, and subjects us to an hour's unnecessary toil-for then we rank him as a rash and imprudent character. Perhaps one-half of the instances in which men get credit for prudence, are of this doubtful kind. It may be, reader, that you pass for a very prudent character; if that be the case, it will not hurt you to consider, whether there is not some truth in the remark, that, in common estimation, Success metes out the praise of human deeds, There is a great deal of this sort of judgment in the world. The schoolboy, who in wandering out of bounds, picked up his master's watch obtained a reward; but had he lost anything belonging to his master, under the same circumstances, he might have been caned for his disobedience, in trespassing beyond the precincts of his play-ground. We are not likely to hear of a prudent man setting a house in a flame, by playing with fireworks, nor of being carried out to sea by the tide, through thoughtlessly entering a boat on the shore, nor of ruining himself by reckless speculation, nor of greatly annoying another, to obtain a trifling advantage himself. These are not the actions of the prudent, but of the inconsiderate. A prudent course is a course of order, of peace, and of comfort, not only to ourselves but to all connected with us; and well would it be for us, if we could inva- | riably practise prudence in every relation of life" Never beginning that of which we had not well considered the end," and "always letting our conduct of to-day be such as to bear the reflection of tomorrow." On the unstable and imprudent there is no dependence to be placed, but the "prudent man looketh well to his going," Prov. xiv. 15. How excellent is the lesson set forth to the imprudent man, in the fourteenth chapter of St. Luke: "Which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? lest haply, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish." How it may be with you I know not; but for myself, I have begun many a tower in my time, that made very little progress afterwards, though at first I meant it to attain a lofty height. A man whom I knew in my younger days, once offered to lend me a thousand pounds, if I wanted it, in a month-but in the meantime he borrowed from me a shilling. Now had I calculated on the proffered thousand pounds of so unstable a character, I must have lacked prudence, even yet more than he did. He was one of the many who look not before them; whereas "the wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way," Prov. xiv. 8. I was once present at the reading of a report which, though drawn up with great ability, sadly wanted prudence. It contained many personal and bitter remarks, and much matter which had nothing to do with the subject on hand; but when it was proposed to blot out the extraneous matter, it was laid down as a rule, by several present, not a very prudent rule certainly, that every part objected to in the report should be tried by this single question, "Is it true?" And if that question could be answered in the affirmative, then the disputed point should stand. Let me here show the extreme absurdity of such a course. Suppose a committee, appointed to consider the expediency of erecting an hospital in a populous neighbourhood, are met together to draw up a report of their deliberations, laying down the rule that every questionable point of the report shall be tried by this inquiry, and by no other, "Is it true?" A comical member among them, having sense enough to see the absurdity of the rule, and being desirous to make them see it, too, proposes that the report shall begin with a description of the room in which they are assembled, its length, breadth, and height, together with an account of the chairs, tables, and pictures it contains. One of the party objects to this information, as altogether unnecessary, but the cynic insists on the rule being observed. The question is put, "Is it true?" which being answered affirmatively, a full description of the room is introduced into the report. Our cynic next suggests that it may be as well to introduce some account of themselves, such as a brief statement of their birth, parentage, and education. This suggestion is strenuously resisted, as a course that would subject them to derision; but the resistance is in vain ; the rule is appealed to, and the statements having passed the ordeal of the inquiry, become also part of the report. By this time, several of the members, supporters of the rule, begin to entertain a doubt of its wisdom, but our cynic allows them no quarter-for he proceeds to propose that a list of the kings who have governed our happy island, shall form part of the report. Some laugh at him, some are angry with him, and some almost question if he be in his right mind; but neither their doubts, their anger, nor their laughter, prevents him from appealing to the rule, or from carrying his point in the report. The affair now assumes so discreditable an appearance, that every one wishes to escape from it; when our cynical member, as the crowning act of his policy, proposes lastly, the insertion of an acknowledgment, on the part of the committee, that they are heartily ashamed of the ridiculous attitude in which they have placed themselves, in drawing up so extraordinary a report. This is so obvious a fact, that it cannot be denied, and the committee, unable any longer to sustain their indefensible position, give themselves up to the guidance of him who has convinced them of their error. He tells them that, even in recording truth, prudence is necessary, and gives them this better rule to assist them in drawing up their statement. Let every point introduced be not only a truth, but also a truth fit and proper to be introduced into the report. It becomes, you see, an important inquiry to us, whether the principles we lay down for the regulation of our conduct are what they ought to be, and whether we carry them out in a proper manner. Oh for the constant desire to give "glory to God in the highest," and to cultivate "peace and goodwill towards men," doing to them as we would they should do unto us. But if the exercise of prudence be necessary in common affairs, how much more so in holy things! and yet by many pious people, prudence is regarded merely as a time-serving principle of expediency, forgetful of the injunction, "Be ye wise as serpents, and harmless as doves." Numberless are the errors of truly religious people owing to their lack of prudence and discretion. We ought not to undervalue hearing, because God has given us eyesight, nor the sense of taste because he has mercifully endowed us with that of feeling. If this be true, then, neither ought we to despise prudence on account of our possessing piety. Prudence is not only a restrainer of evil and an adorner of good conduct, but also a helper in the great and the little affairs of life. A prudent man will attain his ends with small means, when an imprudent man will not effect them with large resources. Churlish Nabal would hardly have done that with five hundred men which his prudent wife Abigail accomplished with her loaves and cakes, her raisins, her parched corn, and her wine. I once heard of two boys who wanted to pass a furious dog who was chained to his kennel. One of them to effect his purpose, thoughtlessly armed himself with a stout stick, which he held out in a menacing manner, but this only rendered the fierce creature more furious than before, so that the boy durst not approach him through fear of being torn to pieces. The other boy, somewhat more prudent than his companion, so pacified the enraged animal by throwing him pieces of the bread and butter he was eating, that in a little time the dog was seen wagging his tail, while the good-natured boy patted his head in perfect safety. Can we learn nothing from this little adventure? I think we may, for to me it seems somewhat akin to that text in the Proverbs of Solomon, "A soft answer turneth away wrath, but grievous words stir up anger." Suppose, in a peaceable and well regulated neighbourhood, there lives one who is a cheat, a drunkard, a wrangler, and a sabbath-breaker, keeping open his shop on a Sunday, and setting his neighbours at open defiance. Now send to him a pious man, hot-headed, hot-hearted, and possessing no prudence, and he will begin, perhaps, to tell him at once that his conduct is shameful, that he is a disgrace to the neighbourhood, and that such a thorough-paced scoundrel deserves to be set in the stocks, if not to be put in the pillory for his pains. The consequence of this course will probably be, that instead of this imprudent Christian effecting any good, he will get kicked out of the habitation of the sabbath-breaker, while, had a prudent-spirited Christian undertaken the same mission, a very different effect would have followed. Zeal in holy things is an estimable quality, but without prudence it will lead its possessor into sad predicaments. Think not that I am dealing altogether in suppositions. Too many instances have I known of imprudence among the worthy of the world, not to have frequently regretted that the want of one quality should have so materially diminished their usefulness. A Christian man should be an attractive and not a forbidding character. He should be forbearing, and not severe; he should be considerate, and not hasty. Prudence and piety are a lovely pair. Pity it is that they should ever be divided. But if I have known some Christian people lamentably deficient in prudence, others have I known who largely possessed it. It corrected their errors, guided their zeal, increased their usefulness, imparted a consistency to their course, adorned their deeds, and made them models of humility and of ardent devotion to the Redeemer. Are you prudent, reader, at home and abroad? among friends and strangers? among religious and irreligious people? Are you prudent in worldly affairs, as well as in using the means of grace and encouraging the hope of glory? and especially, are you prudent in putting your trust solely and unreservedly in Him in whom whosoever trusteth shall never be confounded? We should deem him an imprudent man who erected his house so close to the river that every flood inundated his habitation; or began to build it on the sand of the sea shore, where the coming tide would be sure to wash it away. How much more imprudent he must be, then, who builds not his house, but his eternal hope, on any foundation |