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Q. In what words does the Litany of our Church teach us to pray for this fear and love of God?

A. "That it may please thee to give us an heart to love and dread thee, and diligently to live after thy commandments, we beseech thee to hear us, good Lord."

VI.

Q. If your companions grow wicked and profane, what ought you to do?

A. Give up their friendship.

Q. What does Solomon tell us, respecting the choice of our companions?

A. Prov. xiii. 20. "He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed."

Taken from Dr. Watts's Hymns for Children, with Questions and Answers, by a Lady. (Rivingtons.)

OF HARROWING.

(From the Farmer's Golden Treasury.)

CERTAINLY, were it not for this, all my former labour and charges would be lost: for the seed, lying upon the surface of the ground, would be carried away by the birds, before it could take any root. Methinks I have here visibly set before my eyes, the great necessity of meditation, to render the word of God effectual to me; and I cannot but think that it is for want of that, that men profit so little by it. Men will take up a Bible, or some other good book, and read in it, a little while: they will go to church and hear a sermon, and then they think their work is done; when, alas! it is no more done, than my work was done when I had just scattered my seed upon the ground. A most necessary part

Letter from a Servant.

561

remains yet untouched. A man must go over it again and again, if he design to reap any fruit of it. For as without harrowing in the seed I could not expect any crop; so, without meditation, the benefits of God's word will be lost. Bare reading or hearing is but just sowing the seed; it lies but upon the surface of the heart, and will be most certainly snatched away by the devil, unless by meditation we let it in, and cover it, as it were, out of sight.

I beseech thee, therefore, O gracious Lord, teach me as much wisdom in the management of my spiritual concerns, as I have of my temporal; and make me as careful of thy word, that seed of eternal life, as I am of this, which can serve but for a moment. Open thou my heart to receive it, and let it bring forth fruit in abundance. Teach me to meditate on thy judgments, and always to think upon thy name. Let me hide thy words in my heart that I may not sin against thee. Oh! establish thy word in thy servant, that I may fear thee.

LETTER FROM A SERVANT MAN.

To the Editor of the Cottager's Monthly Visitor. SIR,

You often take the case of us servants into your consideration. There are some of us bad enough; that is certain; but there would be others of us much better than we are, if we were kept out of opportunities of doing wrong; we are often placed in the midst of temptations; and often too, even by good masters, from not knowing what we are about whilst their eye is not upon us. What a world of wickedness is often going forward in the streets amongst the crowd of carriages at public places in London!

what swearing, drinking, and quarrelling; and what profligate conversation with bad men and bad women! I have commonly lived in the country; I once tried a place in London, but I could not stand it. I look upon gambling to be one of the worst practices we can get into. Not long ago a fellowservant of mine shot himself because he had lost his money, and his character too. What a dreadful end to come to! A good master will look to his servants; but suppose a master gambles himself, how can he talk to his servants about such a crime? I think the ruin of young men commonly begins at an ale-house; and, in this point, we are often very badly off; for, if we travel with our masters, and go to any public place, the servant is very commonly obliged to live at the public-house, for want of room at the lodgings where his master is; and there we live from morning till night in the tap-room; there is no other place. To be sure these places are on purpose for people who are from home, and who want such accommodation, and, if things were as they should be, we should meet nobody but fellowtravellers and fellow-servants, and all would be well; young men might get some advice from older ones which might do them good in these places; but, we know that there are ten times as many alehouses as travellers want, and they are filled with all the very worst fellows that the parish can turn out, men that neglect their families and go to the alehouse to spend their money, and know all the tricks of plundering and poaching, and swear at every word, and sing their filthy songs, and drink till they can hardly walk; and, when a young man gets into such company as that, what is to be expected of him? When I first went into service, I lived with a master who always ordered the matter so, that he never would let any of his servants have their lodging in an ale-house and now, though I am often obliged to put up in one, I trust I know well enough the

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danger of such places to be much hurt by them; but you may depend upon it, Sir, that many a young servant is ruined by them.

I am, Sir, your humble servant,

THOMAS WILLIAMS.

GARDENING. DECEMBER.

THERE are many useful things to be done in the garden even at this time of year, though the employment may not be so pleasing as in spring and summer, when every thing appears full of life and beauty.

Now bring in manure in hard weather, and lay it in heaps in those parts where it will be most wanted. When you come to use it, if you have plenty, it may be spread regularly on the ground, and dug in. If your supply is small, it may be dug only into the part where your row of vegetables is to be planted. Lay such ground as is not wanted in trenches, and, whilst doing this, bury the old weeds, stalks of vegetables, leaves, &c., and such manure as you can afford. Your trenching can be done by little and little at your leisure, a little frost need not hinder you. Here will be good practice for your boys, if you have any; teach them how to do it, and bring them up generally to habits of industry; for if they once get idle habits, they will be ready for all sorts of mischief. Teach them that idleness is the most expensive thing in the world. To an industrious man, time is money.

When your ground is dug well, and laid in good trenches, you will have little else to do but level the trenches with a spade or shovel, when you want to put in a crop.

A crop of beans may be put in when the weather is mild.

Continue to prune trees against walls and espaliers; standard trees do not require regular pruning, like wall-trees; but, if there be any awkward branches, unproductive, or out of place, or ny dead wood, now is the time to take it away; a little thinning will make your tree more productive, and bear finer fruit. Nurse newly planted trees in hard weather by covering their roots with long litter.

If the borders, where fruit-trees grow, is poor, dig a good hole round the roots of the trees and put in manure or good fresh earth; you may do this without injuring the roots.

Continue to prune gooseberry and currant-trees; and put in cuttings; also transplant trees and shrubs of almost every kind. Look over the fruit that is laid up in the house, and take away such as is decaying. Prune such shrubs as want it, and dig and clean between them. Plant your young quick for hedges, and clip to a regular height that which is growing, that it may thicken at the bottom.

V.

TEMPERANCE SOCIETIES IN AMERICA.

"SOME persons in the United States have formed themselves into Temperance Societies, unanimously resolving that they will not be engaged in the manufacture or sale of spirituous liquors, or suffer any intoxicating liquor to be drunk in their families, except such as may be required in certain cases of sickness."-In England, this land of liberty, people would think it very hard, if they might not empty their pockets, and ruin their health, if they thought proper to do so. A rule like this would oblige many a hard working man to have his pockets

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