It contained about threescore houses, and every cottager Lad groan 1 enough le keeping one or two cows. The noble proprietor looked upon those brimble the ments as an eyesore; and one by one, as opportunity ofered, he purchased them till at length he became owner of the whole, one field excepted, which belonged t an old Quaker. The old man resisted many offers, but at last he was induced: exchange it for a larger and better piece of land in another place. No sooner hal this transaction been completed, than the other occupants, who were now only tenants at will, received notice to quit; the houses were demolished, the inclosur levelled, hearthsteads and homesteads, the cottage garden and the cottage field appeared, and the site was in part planted, in part thrown into the park. T Quaker, who, unlike Naboth, had parted with the inheritance of his fathers, wa native of the village; but he knew not how dearly he was attached to it till he sa its demolition: it was his fault, he said; and if he had not exchanged his piece ground, he should never have lived to see his native place destroyed. He to deeply to heart; it preyed upon his mind, and he soon lost his senses and died I tell the story as it was related, within sight of the spot, by a husbandman wi knew the place and the circumstances, and well remembered that many people tal to come every morning from the adjacent parts to buy milk there,—“ a quart of £7 milk for a half-penny, and a quart of old given with it.” Naboth has been named in relating this, but the reader will not suppose that! have any intention of comparing the great proprietor to Ahab, or to William t Conqueror. There was nothing unjust in his proceedings, nothing iniquitous; (though there may have been a great want of proper feeling) nothing cruel I not aware that any hardship was inflicted upon the families who were ejecte farther than the inconvenience of a removal. He acted as most persons in the same circumstances probably would have acted, and no doubt he thought that magnificent habitation was greatly improved by the demolition of the poor dwellings which had neighboured it so closely. Farther it may be said in his justification (for which I would leave nothing unsaid,) that very possibly the houses had sufficient appearance of neatness and comfort to render them agreeable objec that the people may have been in no better state of manners and morals th villagers commonly are, which is saying that they were bad enough; that the filtid their houses was thrown into the road, and that their pigs, and their children, wh were almost as unclean, ran loose there. Add, to this, if you please, that the they stood in fear of their great neighbour, there may have been no attachment to him, and little feeling of good will. But I will tell you how Dr. Dove would ha proceeded if he had been the hereditary lord of that castle and that domain. He would have considered that this village was originally placed there for th sake of the security which the castle afforded. Times had changed, and with the the relative duties of the peer and of the peasantry: he no longer required the feudal services, and they no longer stood in need of his protection. The more therefore, according to his " way of thinking," was it to be desired that other relations should be strengthened, and the bond of mutual good will be more closely intertwined. He would have looked upon these villagers as neighbours, in whos welfare and good conduct he was especially interested, and over whom it was in his power to exercise a most salutary and beneficial influence; and, having this powe he would have known that it was his duty so to use it. He would have established a school in the village, and have allowed no alehouse there. He would have takes his domestics preferably from thence. If there were a boy who, by his gentle dis position, his diligence, and his aptitude for learning, gave promise of those qualites which best become the clerical profession, he would have sent that boy to a grammar-school, and afterwards to college, supporting him there in part, or wholly, according to the parents' means, and placing him on his list for preferment, according to his deserts. If there were any others who discovered a remarkable fitness for any other useful calling, in that calling he would have had them instructed, and given them his countenance and support, as long as they continued to deserve it. The Archbishop of Braga, Fray Bartolomeu dos Martyres, added to his establishment a physician for the poor. Our friend would, in like manner, have fixed a medical practitioner in the village-one as like as he could find to a certain doctor at Doncaster; and have allowed him such a fixed stipend as might have made him reasonably contented, and independent of the little emolument which the practice of the place could afford, for he would not have wished his services to be gratuitous where there was no need. If the parish to which the village belonged was too extensive, or the parochial minister unwilling, or unable, to look carefully after this part of his flock, his domestic chaplain (for he would not have lived without one) should have taken care of their religious instruction. In his own family and his own person he would have set his neigbours an example of "whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report." And as this example produced its sure effects, he would have left the amateurs of agriculture to vie with each other in their breeds of sheep and oxen, and in the costly cultivation of their farms. It would have been-not his boast, for he boasted of nothing;-not his pride, for he had none of "-that poor vice, which only empty men Esteem a virtue;" it was out of the root of Christian humility that all his virtues grew-but his consolation and his delight, to know that nowhere in Great Britain was there a neater, a more comfortable village than close to his own mansion; nowhere a more orderly or more moral, a more cheerful or a happier people. And if his castle had stood upon an elevation conimanding as rich a survey as Belvoir or Shobden, that village, when he looked from his windows, would still have been the most delightful object in the prospect. [DR. THOMAS WILSON, Bishop of Sodor-and-Man, was an eminent Divine of the latter part of the last century. His works are of a practical character, and are still extensively used. He died March 7, 1755, at the age of 92.] “And take double money in your hand; and the money that was brought again in the mouth of your sacks, carry it again in your hand; peradventure it was an oversight."-GENESIS xliii. 12. A man of justice and integrity in his dealings is a character very desirable; and most people are apt to claim it as their right. On the other hand, there are so many ways of forfeiting this character, without a man's being exposed to the world for his dishonesty, nay, very often without taking notice of it himself, that one cannot be too carnest with people to consider this matter a little more seriously, if it were but to convince them how often they claim a character which they are not always careful to deserve. But then, when it is considered that for every act of injustice a man is accountable to God, and that restitution, where it can be, must be made as we hope for salvation, though it is a duty which people are very hardly persuaded to submit to, Beaumont and Fletcher, It contained about threescore houses, and every cottager had ground enough for keeping one or two cows. The noble proprietor looked upon these humble tenements as an eyesore; and one by one, as opportunity offered, he purchased them, till at length he became owner of the whole, one field excepted, which belonged to an old Quaker. The old man resisted many offers, but at last he was induced to exchange it for a larger and better piece of land in another place. No sooner had this transaction been completed, than the other occupants, who were now only tenants at will, received notice to quit; the houses were demolished, the inclosures levelled, hearthsteads and homesteads, the cottage garden and the cottage field disappeared, and the site was in part planted, in part thrown into the park. The Quaker, who, unlike Naboth, had parted with the inheritance of his fathers, was a native of the village; but he knew not how dearly he was attached to it till he saw its demolition: it was his fault, he said; and if he had not exchanged his piece of ground, he should never have lived to see his native place destroyed. He took it deeply to heart; it preyed upon his mind, and he soon lost his senses and died. I tell the story as it was related, within sight of the spot, by a husbandman who knew the place and the circumstances, and well remembered that many people used to come every morning from the adjacent parts to buy milk there," a quart of new milk for a half-penny, and a quart of old given with it." I am Naboth has been named in relating this, but the reader will not suppose that I have any intention of comparing the great proprietor to Ahab,-or to William the Conqueror. There was nothing unjust in his proceedings, nothing iniquitous; and (though there may have been a great want of proper feeling) nothing cruel. not aware that any hardship was inflicted upon the families who were ejected, farther than the inconvenience of a removal. He acted as most persons in the same circumstances probably would have acted, and no doubt he thought that his magnificent habitation was greatly improved by the demolition of the poor dwellings which had neighboured it so closely. Farther it may be said in his justification, (for which I would leave nothing unsaid,) that very possibly the houses had not sufficient appearance of neatness and comfort to render them agreeable objects; that the people may have been in no better state of manners and morals than villagers commonly are, which is saying that they were bad enough; that the filth of their houses was thrown into the road, and that their pigs, and their children, who were almost as unclean, ran loose there. Add, to this, if you please, that though they stood in fear of their great neighbour, there may have been no attachment to him, and little feeling of good will. But I will tell you how Dr. Dove would have proceeded if he had been the hereditary lord of that castle and that domain. He would have considered that this village was originally placed there for the sake of the security which the castle afforded. Times had changed, and with them the relative duties of the peer and of the peasantry: he no longer required their feudal services, and they no longer stood in need of his protection. The more, therefore, according to his " way of thinking," was it to be desired that other relations should be strengthened, and the bond of mutual good will be more closely intertwined. He would have looked upon these villagers as neighbours, in whose welfare and good conduct he was especially interested, and over whom it was in his power to exercise a most salutary and beneficial influence; and, having this power, he would have known that it was his duty so to use it. He would have established a school in the village, and have allowed no alehouse there. He would have taken his domestics preferably from thence. If there were a boy who, by his gentle disposition, his diligence, and his aptitude for learning, gave promise of those qualities which best become the clerical profession, he would have sent that boy to a grammar-school, and afterwards to college, supporting him there in part, or wholly, according to the parents' means, and placing him on his list for preferment, according to his deserts. If there were any others who discovered a remarkable fitness for any other useful calling, in that calling he would have had them instructed, and given them his countenance and support, as long as they continued to deserve it. The Archbishop of Braga, Fray Bartolomeu dos Martyres, added to his establishment a physician for the poor. Our friend would, in like manner, have fixed a medical practitioner in the village-one as like as he could find to a certain doctor at Doncaster; and have allowed him such a fixed stipend as might have made him reasonably contented, and independent of the little emolument which the practice of the place could afford, for he would not have wished his services to be gratuitous where there was no need. If the parish to which the village belonged was too extensive, or the parochial minister unwilling, or unable, to look carefully after this part of his flock, his domestic chaplain (for he would not have lived without one) should have taken care of their religious instruction. In his own family and his own person he would have set his neigbours an example of "whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report." And as this example produced its sure effects, he would have left the amateurs of agriculture to vie with each other in their breeds of sheep and oxen, and in the costly cultivation of their farms. It would have been-not his boast, for he boasted of nothing;-not his pride, for he had none of "that poor vice, which only empty men Esteem a virtue;" it was out of the root of Christian humility that all his virtues grew-but his consolation and his delight, to know that nowhere in Great Britain was there a neater, a more comfortable village than close to his own mansion; nowhere a more orderly or more moral, a more cheerful or a happier people. And if his castle had stood upon an elevation commanding as rich a survey as Belvoir or Shobden, that village, when he looked from his windows, would still have been the most delightful object in the prospect. [DR. THOMAS WILSON, Bishop of Sodor-and-Man, was an eminent Divine of the latter part of the last century. His works are of a practical character, and are still extensively used. He died March 7, 1755, at the age of 92.] “And take double money in your hand; and the money that was brought again in the mouth of your sacks, carry it again in your hand; peradventure it was an oversight."-GENESIS xliii. 12. A man of justice and integrity in his dealings is a character very desirable; and most people are apt to claim it as their right. On the other hand, there are so many ways of forfeiting this character, without a man's being exposed to the world for his dishonesty, nay, very often without taking notice of it himself, that one cannot be too carnest with people to consider this matter a little more scriously, if it were but to convince thein how often they claim a character which they are not always careful to deserve. But then, when it is considered that for every act of injustice a man is accountable to God, and that restitution, where it can be, must be made as we hope for salvation, though it is a duty which people are very hardly persuaded to submit to, Beaumont and Fletcher. --these things considered, it is every body's concern to know and to avoid a sin of so much deceit and danger. Now, there are several parts of injustice, or ways of forfeiting the character of an honest man, which I shall not now insist upon; such are,---the taking what is another man's right by secret or open force, that is, by theft or robbery; by oppres sion, when he is not able to contend with us; or by extortion, when his necessities force him to submit to the hardest terms we think fit to impose upon him: these are all crimes of so ill fame, that all people pretend to abhor them; the laws are severe in punishing them: and such as are guilty are, for the most part, convinced they do ill. But, then, there are acts of injustice which, though they are not so barefaced, yet are as evil in the sight of God, as ill becoming an honest man and a Christian, and as hard to be repented of as the former; such are,—the taking advantage of men's ignorance or mistakes; over-reaching them in bargains or in suits at law; imposing upon their belief by a pretended sincerity, and then making a hand of their simplicity: these, and such as these, are the sins I would endeavour to set in a true light, that all good men may avoid them, and that all evil men may repent of them. Now, the text I have chosen for this discourse is an instance of great integrity. It is the direction and command of Jacob to his sons, who, returning out of Egypt, where they had been to buy corn, and finding the moneys which they had before taken with them packed up and returned with the rest of their goods, were greatly surprised, and at a loss what to think of so uncommon an accident; in the mean time their father orders them what to do: "Take double money in your hand; and the money that was brought again in the mouth of your sacks, carry it again in your hand; peradventure it was an oversight." In these words there are two duties of great importance expressly set down. "Peradventure it was an oversight." Here is a direction never to take advantage of other people's mistakes, negligence, or ignorance, &c. "Take double money in your hands," &c. Here is restitution expressly required. Of which two duties, and the sins that are contrary to them, I will endeavour, by the assistance of God's good Spirit, so to speak as that your time may not be altogether lost in hearing them explained. I. To begin with the first of these duties. Now, there being a world of prac tices very dishonest, and yet people make a shift to live in them without either public reproach or private regret, it will therefore be proper to consider, how they will be able to justify themselves before the Judge of all the Earth. "Peradventure it was an oversight;" and therefore we must not take our advantage of it. This was Jacob's rule. Let us see how far this rule ought to oblige all honest men, and how well it is observed. Now, people may not see their interest, but overlook their rights several ways; and to take advantage of their circumstances would be manifest injustice. For instance: if a man is in drink, he is, in the very language of the world, overseen; and if, in such circumstances, he happen to fall into ill hands, and make a bargain, it is ten to one but he heartily repents of what he has done, and very often his family smarts for it. Now, a good man, when he sees this, would reason just as Jacob did: 'It was an oversight, and you shall not suffer by it.' But is this the practice of the world?--Very far from it. And, though the Apostle expressly declares "that the Lord is the avenger of all such as go beyond or defraud another in any matter," (1 Thess. iv. 6,) yet people will not easily quit a good bargain, for any law of God, if the laws of man will not force them to it. To proceed. How easily may a poor man, who has a righteous cause, mistake in |