fore the representations of our Lord's kinsmen, previous to the Tabernacles, recorded in John vii. 3, 4.

Those of your readers, who have paid much attention to the arrangement on which the Boston "Harmony" is founded, and to the phenomena of the Gospels in connexion with them, will probably have noticed in the "Monthly Repository "of last year, a series of observations, which may throw some light on the subjects in discussion. But without specific reference to those observations, I would take the opportunity of stating the following particulars, in which a renewed and close examination has modified my views as to the phenomena of the Gospels and the system of arrange

ment.

1. I should consider St. Luke's Gnomology (or, as it may in some sense be termed, the Records of the Seventy), as beginning with Chapter x. 1, and ending with Chapter xvii. 11. I think this limitation of importance; explaining the character of this portion of the Gospel much better than Bishop Marsh's more extended limits, and also the cause of its being inserted where it is.

2. To the three essential principles of the arrangement,— viz. that the ministry of Christ included only two Passovers, that the miracle of the Five Thousand was not long before the second Passover, and that St. Matthew's order should be made the general guide, I would add, as a subsidiary principle, that no portion should be separated from its connexion in the particular Gospel where it is found, unless the separation be required by the ascertained, or at least very probable, order of time.

3. Those of the discourses and miracles recorded in St. Luke's Gnomology, which are not clearly referable to a specific time, I would insert, as a miscellaneous portion, where St. Luke himself has placed them, viz. immediately after our Lord's setting out from Galilee.

I am, Gentlemen,

with respectful regard,

yours truly,

LANT CARPENTER.

1832.

ART. VIII.1. The Well-spent Hour. Third edition corrected and enlarged. Boston. Carter & Hendee. 18mo. Pp. 160.

2. Sequel to" The Well-spent Hour"; or the Birth-Day. Boston. Carter & Hendee. 1832. 18mo. pp. 154.

THOSE were very well-spent hours, which were employed in writing these pleasant and useful books for the benefit of our young people. We have seen no works of the kind which have pleased us more, and few which have pleased us so much. We have done what reviewers seldom do, whatever they may pretend, we have honestly read them through, and not from a sense of duty, but simply because we could not help it. After we had begun, we found that we were obliged to go on till we came to the end. They reminded us constantly of Miss Edgeworth. The same lively and instructive conversation; the same strong interest independent of any great variety of incident; the same knowledge of nature, of human nature, and of children's nature; the same good sense and right feeling, which mark the works of that benefactress of youth, are stamped on these volumes. They reminded us, too, of Miss Edgeworth's great defect, or deficiency, not by resemblance, however, but by contrast. Religious principle is inculcated in them, easily, naturally,' without the least sign of stiffness or awkwardness. A cheerful, practical, every-day piety, shines through them like light, touching, warming, and gilding every thing. Christian hope, faith, trust, and love are here, in their true and engaging forms. And we do insist that it is right and exceedingly beneficial to cultivate religious feeling, and sow the elements of religious knowledge in the hearts and minds of children, tenderly and judiciously, and connect religion with all they love and ought to love, with all they value and ought to value. We believe the instances not to be rare, in which individuals have been saved from spiritual ruin by a few sacred truths, which they had learnt in their early and innocent days.

The first of the little volumes now before us, "The Wellspent Hour," has been for some time before the public, and has met with a part, at least, of the favor it deserves. The Sequel" is equally worthy of a kind reception, and we trust will secure it. The history of the Nelson family is

carried on in it, after an interval of four years, without any diminution of interest or ability.

For the satisfaction of those who may not have seen either of these volumes, we will present a specimen or two from their pages. As the first chapter explains the title of the work, we will commence with that. It is headed "Piety at Home."

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'Mother, I am tired of reading; can't you tell me of something to do?' said Kitty Nelson, one day, as she stretched herself out, and gaped, as if she were weary. 'Yes, my dear,' said her mother, 'you may hem this handkerchief, or you may pick up these shreds.' 'Oh,' said the little girl, but that would be tiresome, and I want something pleasing to do; you know you told me I might do what I pleased in the vacation, if I did nothing wrong.' True, my dear, but I told you I did not believe you would be happy, when idle, and advised you to employ yourself; but left you at liberty to choose for yourself.'

"But, mother, can't you think of any thing pleasant for me to do?' Can you tell me any thing of the sermon that we heard yesterday?' said her mother. I remember the text, I think,' said Kitty. 'What was it, my dear?' It was,

"Let them show their piety at home." What is piety, mother?' Piety, my dear, is love and obedience to God; it is a desire to please him, and a continual and grateful remembrance of all his kindness to us, and a fear of offending such great goodness. Do you remember any thing that the preacher said about it?' 'He spoke about spending one hour well; I did not understand all, but I did a great deal of what he said, and it made me think of what I could do in an hour.' 'Well, Kitty, what could you do in an hour?' 'Do you mean, mother, how many of my lessons I could learn in an hour?? 'No; but if you had no lessons to get, as now, for instance, and wanted to spend an hour well, what good could you do?' I am sure, mother, I don't know. If I were to sew an hour, I could not do much; and besides, Roxy does all your sewing; some one to do all the other work in the house; there is nothing for me to do.'

6

and there is

And cannot you make

"But is there no other way of doing good that you can think of?' said her mother; do I never do you good except when I make you clothes, or give you food?' Oh yes, mother; you teach me, and you make me happy.' any one happy?' Here Kitty hesitated. Here Kitty hesitated. when I am good and industrious, you say er happy.' 'Is there no one else you

Sometimes, mother, I make you and fathcan make happy, or

unhappy, my dear?' 'Yes, mother, I can make James and Lucy happy, and sometimes I make them unhappy; and I am afraid I troubled Lucy this morning.' "And could you not make her happy again?' 'Oh yes, mother, I think I could.' 'Then, my dear, you have something to do. If we are really anxious to do good, we shall find opportunities enough.' 'Shall

I

66 6

go to Lucy now, mother? I left her crying up stairs.' Stop, one minute, my dear; I have something to propose to you; suppose you try this one hour, and see how much good you can do in it? It is now twelve o'clock; when the bell rings one, come and tell me whether you have found any thing to do, and whether you have been happy should you like to try?' 'Yes, mother, I should,' said Kitty; but I am afraid I cannot do much in one hour.' 'Well, my dear,' said her mother, 'you cannot better begin the hour than by going to little Lucy, and trying to make her happy.'

"Kitty was a sensible, thoughtful girl; she sometimes did wrong, but she was soon sorry for it, and tried to do better; she walked slowly out of the room, thinking what good she could possibly do in an hour. By the time she had shut the door, she thought again of Lucy, to whom she had been so disobliging, and skipped up stairs to make up with her first, before she did any thing else." pp. 1.-4.

The little girl "makes up" with her sister and does some work for her, helps her brother in his lesson, visits a poor old woman, reads to her, and then comes home, at the end of her "well-spent hour," with a heart full of happiness and gratitude.

'They reached home just as it struck one, with fine rosy cheeks, and light and happy hearts, and found their mother in the nursery. 'Well, my daughter,' said she, 'how has the hour been passed? have you done any good? have you been happy?' Oh, very happy,' said Kitty; 'Mrs. Welles says we have done her good.' And what else have you done, my dear? Kitty then told her of every thing she had done during the hour. 'So,' said her mother, 'you have made Lucy and James and poor Mrs. Welles all happy, and been happy yourself, and made your mother happy too, my child.' And me,' said her aunt. 'And you have done all this,' continued her mother, by thinking of the happiness of others, rather than of your own; and you have done it in one hour; and now you know what a well-spent hour means. - But there is some one else whom you cannot see, but who has witnessed and who approves of what you have done; who do you think it is?'

'It is God, mother, for you have told me that he sees me always.' Yes, my dear, and it is by doing your duty, as you have for this last hour, with a hearty desire to please him, that you can show piety at home.'

"Kitty understood what her mother said, and felt very happy, though she said nothing more; for when she thought that such a little girl as she was, had pleased Almighty God, her heart was too full to speak, and she did not know how to express what she felt. She sat down by the side of her mother, and finished the doll's gown, and she spent the remainder of the day as she had that one hour; for she found she was so much happier thinking of others, and trying to do good, that nothing that day could have tempted her to be selfish and disobliging; and often afterwards, when she was older, and was in danger of doing wrong, the recollection of the happiness of this one well-spent hour has encouraged her and given her strength to do right; and from that hour she began to show piety at home." pp. 7-9.

The writer renews her acquaintance with her readers, in the first chapter of the "Sequel" in the following manner.

"It is four years since I gave my young readers an account of some of the well-spent hours of Catherine Nelson. Whoever read that little book at that time, must now be four years older. To some the scene of existence has changed; but we believe they still live; they have left this world of time, and entered upon a life that has no end. They now know, better than any of us, the true value of a well-spent hour, the unspeakable blessing of a well-spent life.

"There will be few of those who read this little volume, who, during the last four years, have not parted on the way with some companion and friend whom they loved. They have thus had the means of forming a juster estimation of the true value of life, of learning the great truth, that the length of our lives is not the thing we should be anxious about, but simply the manner in which we live; that an innocent heart, a knowledge of the character of Jesus, a holy trust in God, can make the death-bed a peaceful and even a cheerful and happy place, not only to the youthful spirit that is entering the immediate presence of its heavenly Father, but to the sorrowing friends whom it leaves behind.

"It is a serious thought to us all, that we are four years older; and I feel as if the sort of acquaintance my readers have made with me authorizes me to say a few words upon the thoughts awakened by this recollection. Let us sit down, and talk, and think, and reason together. You are young, and I am compar