FASTIDIOUS HEARERS.

THEY are guilty of despising the word of God. Oh! no, they say, far be that from us. This is a false charge. All honour be done to the word of God; we esteem it highly. Don't you hear now what we are complaining about? It is the man, and his disqualifications for his office, and his disagreeable manners.

Be that so. Yet, out of thine own mouth will I judge thee. You value the Gospel; I believe it, and you would not for any thing worship in a house where the word of God is handled deceitfully. You love sound doctrine sincerely; but you never find a preacher who can satisfy you for any length of time. There is always something wanting, and you can never get a man of the right stamp. Now suppose there is a prisoner who has forfeited his life: he is convicted, and his sentence is pronounced. The day of his execution comes, and he expects with every moment to see the door of the cell opened, and himself called to the place of execution. The door opens, and in comes a deputy from the governor to offer him pardon and liberty. The prisoner professes to be exceedingly delighted with the message, but he very much objects to the bearer of the message. He is a man of no consequence, or he is hardly able to deliver his message in a becoming manner. Instead of rising up and getting out from his dungeon, the prisoner is all the time dwelling upon the disqualifications of the deputy, and wonders why a man of more talent and higher standing has not been sent to him. He is reminded of the graciousness of the message, and his obligation to esteem and value it, and to over

look those unimportant matters. O yes, he replies, I know the message is valuable indeed, and I have it in all honour; but why is the pardon not printed on parchment, &c. &c. And so he goes on, never leaving his prison, but quarrelling without cessation about the minor and unessential circumstances of the case. Another committee is sent to him, and another still, and every thing possible is done to suit his taste; but in vain. He complains, and will not be satisfied. And now, who will say, that man had a realizing sense of the value of the pardon offered to him? Is not his fault-finding spirit the most decisive testimony against him, and will he ever persuade you, while he remains in this condition, that he has any proper regard either for those who procured for him the offer of pardon, or for the offer itself? Certainly not. The application is easy. And, that the case is analogous, I appeal to your own observation and experience. Tell me whether the most devoted Christians are not the easiest to be satisfied, as it regards the manner and form in which the word of God is delivered, provided they are not positively objectionable, and injurious to the effects of divine truth. And is not each of you more likely to be pleased in proportion as you are in a devotional and humble frame, and is it not the pride of our heart, and the distraction of our mind, which lead us to nearly all the severe remarks, and the murmuring and complaining, about the exercises of the sanctuary?

A QUESTION OF THE FRIENDS.

THE Society of Friends have a query which is directed to be answered yearly by their meetings,

the object of which is, to incite the members to an examination, whether a larger portion of their time and attention is not devoted to the pursuits of business, than is consistent with the duties they owe to their Creator, and to civil and religious society.

"Are Friends careful to keep to moderation, in their trade or business?"

The more I reflect on the nature and constitution of man, his ultimate destiny, and the strong bias he has to become engrossed with temporal cares, the more wise and salutary this question appears. The world is going on at a rapid rate, some would say, in a course of improvement, but in this I am not so clear. However, every thing now is to be done on a grand scale; and what would once have been considered a large and profitable business, is now looked upon as a petty, contemptible concern, scarcely worth attending to. The great object seems to be to compress the business of a lifetime into the short space of a month or a year; and to buy and sell as much as possible in a given period of time. Other things keep pace with this enormous extension of business; spacious stores and dwelling houses must be rented or bought, horses and carriages must be kept, and families brought up in a style of liv ing commensurate with the commercial importance which the masters of them assume. Extravagance and waste are the necessary concomi tants of such a state of things; and it is not at all improbable, that want will by and by thrust herself into the company.

"Moderation in trade or business," does not now mean what was once understood by it; but is taken to signify as large a business as a man

can conduct profitably, by devoting himself to it with all the diligence and alacrity of which he is capable; and the more money he makes, the more fully he is satisfied that he is really doing a very prudent, safe, and moderate business. If you mark the steady, persevering vigilance with which every opening for money-making is watched, the care and anxiety engraven on the countenance, the quick business step, the adroitness and management in driving a bargain, the rising up early and lying down late, with which many pursue their avocations, a stranger would surely be ready to conclude that such men consider it better to lose their own souls, than not to become rich, and that merchandise and money-making are to be their employment for eternity. Young men are immersed in the pursuit of business as soon as they are capable of taking part in it, and are brought up to consider it as the great concern of life. Inured to the store or counting-house, or the market, their ideas become circumscribed by the narrow limits of money calculation; and when the period of lawful age emancipates them from the thraldom to others, it is only to plunge as deeply into it on their own account. I have often mourned over young men of excellent mental endowments, cultivated minds and considerable religious sensibility, who by this system of training have been lost to religious society, and indeed to every other useful and benevolent purpose; given up soul and body to the service of mammon. It would be well if some of the elder and middle aged members of society would seriously and impartially put this query to themselves, whether their pursuit of business is in moderation, or whether it does not engross their

affections and attention to a degree which renders religion and religious concerns insipid and irksome. I fear this is too much the case, even with some who make profession of religion, but whose conduct and converse out of the meetings, evince that their affections are not set on things above, nor are their hearts and treasures in heaven. If ever we are favoured to see a revival, to behold a return of the zeal and devotedness, the ardent piety and love to God and man which distinguished our predecessors, we must be weaned from the world and its pursuits, have our hearts and affections transferred from earth to heaven, and become as fervent in spirit serving the Lord, as we are now active and zealous in the accumulation of estates, for ourselves and our children. To be diligent in business is proper and commendable, but it was for higher purposes that we were created. To serve and glorify our Creator, to do good to his creation, and honour him with our substance, by devoting it to promoting the comfort and happiness of our fellow-creatures, as stewards of Him "whose is the earth and all the fullness thereof," are the great objects for which we have our existence and if we keep them steadily in view, as our primary aim, as the great business and concern of life, we should be far less exclusively devoted to the promotion of our own ease and pleasure, and to the acquisition of wealth. Instead of the spacious and splendid mansions which we are preparing or occupying, as though our home and heaven were here, we should be content with that simple manner of life which, while it embraces real comfort and convenience, involves far less expense and trouble, and more nearly comports with the self-denial and simplicity