they are not our own; we are teaching the other. In the evenstewards only.' This her liberality ing the same son read to her the is the more deserving of notice, Psalms, and other passages of because most of the professors of God's word, when she particularly serious religion in situations like desired him to read the 16th chap. hers, are sadly defective in this of St. John's gospel; the chapter part of their duty, and thus rob which speaks of the Holy Spirit's themselves and their families of coming to reprove the world of numberless mercies, and painfully sin, and of righteousness, and of evidence, that they do not believe judgment, and of his glorifying the blessed God, when he says to Christ, and guiding his people into them, “He that hath pity on the all truth. The well-known lamentpoor lendeth to the Lord, and that ation of a sinner was also often which he hath given will He pay upon her lips, and she was frehim again.” Alas! many are at quently heard to repeat the last immense pains to avoid giving verse with peculiar emphasis and what may be fairly expected from with many tearsthem; and, while they will readily trust their fellow-creatures with

“ Mercy, good Lord, mercy I ask:

This is the total sum. large sums, they will not give the For mercy, Lord, is all my suit: Author of all their abundance and Lord, let thy mercy come.” comforts credit for any thing worth having. Brethren, forgive me, if On the Monday morning, after I appeal to your consciences- Is settling with her some little matnot this mournfully true ? --During ters to which I have already alluded, the last few weeks of her life, her son seeing her heavily afficted, which were weeks of pain and suf- asked her if he should read to her fering, I often saw and conversed any part of the Word of God. She with our valuable neighbour, and answered, Yes; read to me, “ Come always found her humble, meek, unto me, all ye that labour and are submissive, willing that God should heavy-laden ; and I will give you deal with her as seemed good in rest.” During the remainder of His sight, simply depending on His the day, and in the course of the covenanted mercy in Christ, as all following night, she frequently her hope, and leaning for all she prayed, and repeated passages of needed on the help of His almighty scripture; and, after she could no grace. And the accounts which longer speak, she held up her I have received from others that hands when prayer was offered on were near her, abundantly confirm her behalf, and her lips moved. this testimony. She often repeated Almost her last word was Amen, with great fervency this verse at the close of the Lord's Prayer.

Brethren, I am not aiming to “ Cast me not off when strength declines,

lead you to exalt the creature. When boary hairs arise; And round me let thy glory shine,

I am not forgetting, that she Whene'er thy servant dies.”

was a sinner wholly saved by

grace; and all I wish is to preOn the Sunday morning imme vail on you to unite with me in diately preceding her death, after magnifying the rich mercy, which one of her sons had read to her the was displayed towards her during Psalms, and some other portions her life, and graciously supported of Scripture, she repeated from her when she came to die. And memory the Epistle for the day, I may I not well ask, if there is one Cor. xiii. In the afternoon, she read of you who is not longing that his with her servants, correcting the latter end may be like hers? That mistakes of the one, and patiently it will be like hers is very far from

following as a matter of course. you perishing in sin. Tremble, Nearly all, indeed, are flattering lest you should see her sitting down themselves, that things will be well with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, with them, when they depart hence; and all the company of the rebut very few have authority from deemed, in the kingdom of God, the word of God for thus speaking and you yourselves thrust out. peace to their souls. All, it is true, And while mercy yet lingers, yet will have to pass through the same delays to shut the door of hope, gloomy valley; but all will not be yet prays you to be reconciled to cheered in passing through it with God, flee from the paths of sin, the same heavenly light; nor will renounce a vain, a carpal world, the rod and the staff of the good and hasten for peace and righteousshepherd uphold and comfort any . ness to God's beloved Son. You who have not known, trusted to, who are endeavouring to walk and honoured Him, while they humbly with God, but are often remained upon earth. If you would harassed, as our departed neighbour have bim with you in your dying was, with doubts and fears, take hours, as he was with our excellent comfort from her peaceful end, and neighbour in her last moments, you learn to trust more freely the grace must seek in the season of health, and faithfulness of your heavenly the same communion with Him Father. Though you now sow, that she did, the same experimental like her, in tears; you shall soon, knowledge of his ability to save, with her, reap in joy. She bids the same grace to enable you to you not faint, but hope to the end. live to his glory. If you would She bids you remember the proenter with her into His joy here. mise and assurance of the God and after, you must, like her, own Him Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, as your Lord here,' submit to be “ He that goeth forth and wecpeth, saved in His way of faith, follow bearing precious seed, shall doubtHis word, not the common practice less come again with rejoicing, of the world around you, as your bringing his sheaves with him." rule in all things, endeavour to And surely, her immediate family bring up your families for Him, may well be supported under the and magnify His name, and ad. painful trial, which has deprived vance His cause, by a conscientious, them of a friend so justly dear to a Christian use of your money and them. Surely, they will be anievery talent. O beware, I tenderly mated to praise her God for all the intreat you, lest she should rise up mercies which He has conveyed to with you in the judgment to con- them through her, and to bless his demn you. Beware, lest her faith gracious name for baving, in tender should in that awful day, bear wit. compassion to her infirinities, taken ness against your unbelief; her her from the evil to come. Surely, heavenly-mindedness against your they will pray without ceasing, love of creatures and this evil that, through His grace they may world; her delight in communion become partakers of the same with God against your trifling with lively hope, and be strengthened by secret prayer and the worship of His Spirit to follow her, who his house; her anxiety to save the through faith and patience, is now souls of her family and neighbours inheriting the promises ; so that against your neglect of the spiritual they may, one day, stand with her good of your children and servants, before the throne of God and tbe and your indifference to what Lamb, and walk in the light of His may become of the many around glory for ever.

R.

ON PAROCHIAL PSALMODY.

Mr. Editor—The complaint of both of Psalms and verses, and your correspondent Rusticus, as to I may also add, of tunes for the very improper selection fre- our psalmody, I can see no effecquently made of Psalms and verses tual remedy for the present wide for singing in our congregations, spreading evil, but the exertion of is not only well-founded, but calls Episcopal authority on the occasion. loudly for authoritative interfer- If our Bishops would introduce the ence. And I am sorry to observe, subject into our visitation charges, that in village churches at a dis- and also deliver injunctions to the tance from the metropolis, this parochial ministers, that they reguevil is so far from being unknown, larly maintain their authority in that, it is much to be feared, it is selecting the Psalms and Hymns greatly increased. You may be to be sung in their churches, and right in the observation you make further instruct the Church Warin a note, that “it is in all cases the dens to be aiding and assisting the minister's duty to appoint what minister, whenever required to do Psalms or Hymns shall be sung;' so, in carrying bis plans into exebut perhaps you are not aware how cution; I think an effectual mean difficult, how almost impossible it would be adopted for bringing is, to perform this duty in our vil- back psalmody to its legitimate lage churches. In general we find source. Moreover a very considerbut a very limited number in our able odium would thus be removed congregations, who are in any from the ministers of those churches tolerable way qualified for leading in which the evil exists, on their in psalmody. . Consequently these proceeding to remedy it. I speak few are puffed up with almost insuf- from experience when I say, that ferable self-consequence, and either there are cases, in which it is imrequire to be uncontrolled in possible for the minister to direct directing the singing, or will create the singing without special Episcoa schism in the choir. They not pal interference. And it has come only will absent themselves from within the knowledge of the writer, the church altogether, but will use that all singing has been disconti. their utmost endeavour to draw off nued on the attempt having been others also from a place in which quietly, and as he thinks judiciously, they are no longer able to sing to the made. This, I allow, shows a praise and glory of themselves in- very low state of spiritual feelstead of the praise and glory of God, ing; and such, Mr. Editor, is the and where they can no longer exbibit lamentable fact; spiritual feeling their solos and musical skill, Thus is very low among the generality, of two evils the minister is com- even in congregations where the pelled to endure that of which truth has been faithfully preached. Rusticus complains, as being in And from an unwillingness to drive his honest judgment the least from the church those, on whom And I hesitate not to affirm that a word in season might fall for though nominally the selection is good, many conscientious ministers with the minister, it is really with endure, though they lament, the the first fiddle of the choir in many present defective state of Psalmody of our village, and perhaps also of in our congregations. It would our town, churches. And while I give me much pleasure, and what lament, as much as Rusticus does, is of infinitely greater importance, the great want of judgment too it would, I think, be of essential generally shown in the choice service to our establishment, if the MARCH 1829.

Bishops would take the case into Episcopacy, the Parochial Clergy their serious consideration, and in general would introduce the would co-operate wlth the Parochial selection into their churches. The Clergy in removing this great generality of its adoption would impediment to our Psalmody being give it a preference among our conducted to the praise and glory village choirs, and we should have of God, and to the edification the delightful idea that in our of His church. It has often singing, as well as in our prayers, occurred to me that it would be a there is an uniformity of sentiment most desirable thing, and would and feeling in our respective conperhaps do much in correcting gregations. If you will allow these the evil coniplained of, if some few obseryations on the subject, competent persons would make of which Rusticus so justly comsuch a selection of Psalms and plains, to have a place in your Hymns for every Sunday, and Magazine, I trust they may be the other Festival, as would illustrate means of inducing some more and be in harmony with the Lessons, competent person to enter on the Collect, Epistle, or Gospel, or some subject. I pretend not to advance of the services of the day. And, my own views as correct, but as if with this selection, a few plain they are formed after thirty years and devout tunes were published, experience of the evil, and many fit for country, as well as town con- well-meant, though ineffectual gregations, and circulated through endeavours to remedy it, I trust I the Society for Promoting Christian shall be excused the liberty I have Knowledge, it would be doing an taken in thus placing them before unknown benefit to the established your readers. Church. Sanctioned by such a Society, and recommended by the

A COUNTRY CURATE.

ON THE EVANGELISTS' ACCOUNT OF THE RESURRECTION.

SIR, -You are aware, doubtless, how many difficulties attend attempts to harmonize the evangelists' accounts of our Lord's resurrection, and of the events from that time to his ascension. I have been greatly perplexed by these difficulties, and I offer the following observations, in a hope of receiving, rather than of giving, information on these subjects.

Mr. Scott says, in his Commen, tary, John xx. 1-10. that Mary Magdalene must have visited the sepulchre first and alone; that she found the stone taken away; and then hastened to tell Peter and John that the body had been removed. He thinks it improbable, if she had seen an angel informing her that Jesus had risen,' that she could have said what St. John relates, • Therefore,' he says, “she doubt,

less was at the sepulchre, apart from the other women.'

Had I seen this before my perplexities about these accounts, it is not unlikely that I might have yielded to his authority. I feel that probabilities are in his favour. And if I had the arguments entire which swayed his mind, every doubt perhaps might vanish.

I cannot but think, from the best consideration I can give the subject, that the first visit to the sepulchre, after the sabbath, was made by Mary Magdalene, with the other Mary, Joanna, and other women. Nor is it easy to conclude otherwise, from every account excepting that of St. John.

It cannot be denied, I should suppose, that Mary Magdalene and the other women did visit the sepulchre together.

In a case of this kind the most city. xxviii. 9, 11. But our Lord trilling circumstances in the in- appeared first to Mary Magdalene, spired account must be weighed. and in another place, Mark xvi. 9. Mr. Scott, therefore, is justified in John xx. 16. if, then, she had not observing how often Mary Magda- separated from those with whom St. lene mentions our Lord by allusion, Matthew says she went, she must and not by name, as though every bave seen Him a second time when hearer, absorbed by the subject He appeared to the women. This equally with herself, would know would involve the accounts in utter at once of whom she spoke.

confusion. I may, therefore, notice one ex- Would she have concealed the pression in her address to Peter and fact from her companions, after the Jobn: “ They have taken away the Lord's general command to publish Lord out of the sepulchre, and we it to his brethren? John xx. 17. know not where they have laid him.”. And would the women possessed John xx. 2. An expression most of Mary's tidings, have felt and natural to one who had recently, and acted as it is said in St. Matthew ? in great haste, left the other women. If Mary Magdalene were with the

St. John mentions her only, as other women at our Lord's second she was the person from whom appearance, when could she have first he received any tidings of his seen Him first? Master; and because she alone stood And, above all, how can Mary's in connexion with his own visit to presence at the second appearance the tomb.

be admitted, when both Mark and Every Evangelist mentions ber John say she went and told the first, as the first messenger to the disciples after she first saw Jesus ; body of the disciples, and the first and the former, that the women person also to whom Jesus ap- did not say any thing to any man ? peared; Mark xvi. 9, 10, 11.

But if Mary Magdalene separated John says, when Mary Magda- from the other women, when did lene went to the sepulchre it was that separation take place ? “ early, when it was yet dark.” It does not seem reasonable to It was the darkness of the earliest believe, and I think it cannot be dawn, xx. 1. Matthew says it was reasonably allowed, that the pro“ in the end of the sabbath, as it digies related by St. Matthew did began to dawn,” xxvii. 1. Mark not happen when Mary Magdalene says, it was “ very early in the and the other women were very morning, at the rising of the sun," near the sepulchre. xvi. 2. And Luke says, it was In a story told independently by “ very early in the morning," several persons, where each narrates xxiv. 1.

what affected his own mind, and • The three last speak of her visit omits what appeared more striking as made in company with others. to another, there may be perfect

Now, will these expressions harmony; and a combined strength admit of such an interval, that greater than that which any single Mary Magdalene could go to the relation of it contains. sepulchre, and return; then come But there must be a consistent, back to say she had seen the Lord; if not a consecutive relation of the and lastly, go there again with the prominent facts, in each of the other women, and all whilst it was accounts, and an integrity in each neither dark nor day-light ?

narration. St. John states explicitly, that There can be nothing but conMary Magdalene came to him and fusion and doubt where facts which Peter : St. Matthew says, that the did happen, are intermixed with Lord appeared to the women on facts which did not happen, to the their way from the sepulchre to the parties connected with the story;