carthly career and unites your destinies, if not your hearts. Darkness may cover your pathway as a murky cloud, and on ye are to travel together amid the uncertainties of the future. For ye have stood in solemn attitude before the Scarcher of hearts, and made the irrevocable pledge to be onc, –

"Till death us do part.”

Then ponder well the momentous import of this life-relation. Open your cars to the voices that will echo from every scene of domestic experience, coming up, loud and clear, from the depths of anguish in the soul, and bursting out from every brilliant avenue of joy, and pealing like a trumpet along the outstretching paths of wedlock,-for life! Listen to the stirring truth, embracing all that ye have, and arc, and hope for, in this carthly lot, until ye catch the meaning, and your hearts awaken to the appeal LIFE!

- FOR

Often men are inconsiderate in assuming the duties of this sacred relation. Rash are the steps that bring a host to the threshold of wedded life. Because of this, ten thousand who marry for an earthly paradise, awake, when the dreams of the "honey-moon" are over, to find themselves in an earthly purgatory. They "marry in haste and repent at leisure." Says FOSTER, "Alas! many an enamored pair have courted in poetry, and after marriage, lived in prose." Nor is this true alone of the young and inexperienced - the throng of brainless upstarts and dandics that infest society — but also of many of the learned and wiser ones. If not really incon siderate, they have, nevertheless, taken to themselves com panions unsuited to their wants and ways. Socrates, the famed philosopher of ancient Athens, was thus unfortunato in his wife, Xantippe. In all his toils she tormented him by her impertinence, her peevish disposition, and harsh invectives. And all have doubtless read of that amusing incident in his life, when this unwomanly woman, after com

ing down upon him in a hail-storm of invective, poured a pail-full of filthy water upon his head, to which the amiable sage cooly replied, "after thunder rain generally falls." John Wesley, the eloquent and gifted preacher, was wedded to a woman who proved herself a perpetual torment to him in his sacred calling. Goaded by her cruel jealousy, and her yet more cruel temper, she beset him at every point, and followed him even with a persecuting spirit, until he was compelled to leave her to her sin and folly. And MILTON, the mighty English poet, had not lived long with his wife before a difference arose which ended in separation, though she afterwards returned and begged pardon on her knees. It is supposed that this contributed materially to his writing that pathetic scene, in Paradise Lost, in which Eve addresses Adam for pardon and peace.

But we need not pass the precincts of our own neighborhood to become familiar with the numerous "jars" in families consequent upon hasty alliances. The scold, the fret, the drone, the torment, the tyrant, are epithets that express the reigning discords in families. There is "the old man's pet," and "the young man's slave." There is "the lazy man's drudge," and the "proud man's doll." There is the "worn woman's master," and the "jaded man's thorn." There is discord, war and bondage in the marriage state. Many a wife has driven her husband to the practice of dishonesty and fraud, to the saloon of the gambler and the doom of the drunkard, by her pride, extravagance, idleness, fretfulness, or all. And many a husband has crushed the gentle spirit of his wife, and sent her down, heart-broken and sad, to an early grave, by the neglect and cruelty of his faithless heart.

How sad the perpetual union of a pair between whose hearts there are no blest affinities! With no delight in each other's society, yet compelled to abide as one! Mutual enmity, perhaps, rankling and burning in

their hearts, and yet tied together for life! It was the custom of a certain Emperor of Tuscany to punish offenders by binding the living criminal to the body of a dead malefactor, face to face; and the wretched culprit bore about the loathsome and dissolving carcass, until he died in its foul embrace. Fit symbol of the way God often punishes the offender in the marriage life, binding him to a companion from whom his heart has become strangely alienated, even to dreadful loathing, yet compelled to submit to the union, and bear about with him the hated one until released by death. No severer punishment could be inflicted upon man or woman for an inconsiderate alliance. There is meaning in the old proverb, "better be half-hanged than ill-wed."

It is wise, then, "to weigh well what we can only once decide"-to ponder the DUTIES that are involved in this conJUGAL RELATION. The sentiment has become proverbial, "he who is about to marry should consider how it goes with his neighbors." From the results of this sacred connection, witaessed on every hand, much may be learned concerning the duties of husband and wife.

Solomon, the wise, has given us the beau ideal of a wife. Why he has given less prominence to the husband, in this regard, may be a query. Perhaps, the reason lies in the fact, that the former contributes more to the joys or sorrows of domestic life. How frequcutly are the misfortunes or success of men ascribed to their wives! The prosperous man has an economical and industrious wife; while the wife of the unfortunate one is an extravagant and faithless woman. IIence, the Irishsaying, "a man must ask his wife's leave to be rich."

The following is Solomon's description of a model wife, and which good Matthew Henry calls, "A LOOKING-GLASS FOR LADIES." "Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubics. The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.

She will do him good, and not evil, all the days of her life. She secketh wool and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands. She is like the merchants' ships; she bringeth her food from afar. She riseth, also, while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens. She considereth a field and buyeth it, with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard. She girdth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms. She perceiveth that her merchandise is good; her candle goeth not out by night. She layeth her hand to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff. She stretcheth out her hands to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy. She is not afraid of the snow for her household; for all her household are clothed with scarlet. She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple. Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land. She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivoreth girdles unto the merchants. Strength and honor are her clothing, and she shall rejoice in time to come. She openeth her mouth in wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness. She looketh well to the ways of her household, and cateth not the bread of idleness. Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her. Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all. Favor is deceitful and beauty is vain; but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates."

Without commenting on this beautiful portrait I remark that,

The first DUTY of the conjugal relation is MUTUal love. We were made to love. RosSEAU said, "were I in a desert I would find out wherewith in it to call forth my affections. If I could do no better, I would fasten them on some sweet myrtle, or some melancholy cypress, I would love it for its

shade, and greet it kindly for its protection. I would write my name upon it, and pronounce it the sweetest tree in all the desert. If its leaves withered, I would teach myself to mourn, and if it rejoiced, I would rejoice with it." Thus love is "a fragrant blossom that maketh glad the garden of que heart."

I have seen a couple at the hymenial altar when the future seemed so auspicious, as scarcely to admit that a cloud could ever darken the brilliant horizon of life. Apparently, the young hearts united anticipated no other than halcyon days. that they would always walk amid flowers of pleasure, and sit in bowers of peace, and listen to the music of the "birds of paradise." But there came a day of clouds and darkness, and a tempest swept the occan of their joy, and billows heaved upon its depths of pleasure. It was a day of trial; such as is likely to be the lot of every wedded pair, however cheering the prospect to their expectant hearts. For more is usually anticipated by "the two hearts one. at the altar of marriage than is enjoyed. The matrimonial state is hailed as an Elysian land, where sighs are all hushed, and tears are all wiped from the eyes. But there came the trial-time; and LOVE was the angel-hand that buoyed them. above God's whelming billows. And in every instance of trial in the marriage state, this is nature's grand supportersecond only to a living trust in God. Alienations dip every shaft of sorrow in poison-render every trial more bitter and insupportable. Love diminishes by dividing them between two faithful hearts.

No power can exceed that of confiding LOVE. It throws a mantle of charity over a multitude of sins. It blinds the bride to the faults of her spouse. It magnifies to the husband the virtues of his lovely wife. It compels them both to believe a lie. That is, it hath power to allure and charm with virtues in each other which are only imaginary. It causes each to see such qualities in the other—such be