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of human nature to be true from his own experience. Humbled under a fenfe of his fins and imperfections, trembling under the apprehenfions of the confequences of them, and fenfible of his inability to help himself, he gladly lays hold of the hope fet before him, he believes the promifes of God to the penitent, and relies for falvation on Chrift alone. Nor were these new views unavailing; on the contrary, they produced ftriking effects. In confequence of them, with the help of God's grace, he imbibes the fpirit of the Gofpel. His prejudices are overcome, his temper is regulated, his paffions curbed, his very manners are improved by it; in fhort, he seemed, to ufe the language of fcrip. ture, "to become a new creature." Tell me, reader, haft thou ever experienced in thy felf this change which Naimbanna underwent? Remember that our Saviour has told us, that except we be converted, and become as little children, we shall in no wife enter the kingdom of heaven. Has thy heart been turned to fear and to love, and to ferve the Lord thy God? or does thy confcience witness against thee, that thou art yet a ftranger to the peace and joy, as well as the obedience of the gofpel?

If living in a chriftian land, and called by a chriftian name, thou art, nevertheless, no chriftian, repent, without delay, I beseech thee. Receive from this time, the gospel as a little. child. Put off that pride which stands in the way of thy repentance, and of thy falvation,

Be humble and willing to learn like this Prince Naimbanna. Read like him, the facred fcriptures, with reverence and with prayer to God for his bleffing. Soon thy days, like his, fhall be numbered, and if thou, who art born in a Christian land, fhouldst leave the world without having ever truly known the powerful influence of Christianity, the very story which thou hast juft read fhall hereafter rife up in judgment against thee.

PARLEY THE PORTER.

AN ALLEGORY.

THERE was once a certain gentleman who

had a house or caftle, fituated in the midst of a great wilderness, but inclosed in a garden. Now, there was a band of robbers in the wilderness, who had a great mind to plunder and destroy the caftle, but they had not fucceeded in their endeavors, because the mafter had given ftrict orders to "watch without ceafing." To quicken their vigilence, he ufed to tell them that their care would foon have an end; that though the nights they had to watch were dark and stormy, yet they were but few; the period of refiftance was fhort, that of reft eternal.

The robbers, however, attacked the caftle in various ways. They tried at every avenue; watched to take advantage of every careless mo

ment; looked for an open door, or a neglected window. But though they often made the bolts shake, and the windows rattle, they could never greatly hurt the houfe, much lefs get into it. Do you know the reafon ? It was, becaufe the fervants were never off their guard. They heard the noises plain enough, and ufed to be not a little frightened, for they were aware both of the ftrength and perfeverence of the enemy. But what feemed rather odd to fome of these fervants, the gentleman ufed to tell them, that while they continued to be afraid, they would be fafe; and it paffed into a fort of proverb in that family, "happy is he that feareth always." Some of the fervants, however, thought this a contradiction.

One day, when the mafter was going from home, he called his fervants all together, and fpoke to them as follows: "I will not repeat to you the directions I have so often given you; they are all written down in THE BOOK OF LAWS, of which every one of you has a copy. Remember, it is a very short time that you are to remain in this caftle; you will foon remove to my more fettled habitation, to a more durable house, not made with hands. As thofe houses are never expofed to any attack, fo they never ftand in need of any repair, for that country is never infefted by any fons of violence. Here you are fervants; there you will be princes. But mark my words, and you will find the fame truth in the BOOK OF MY LAWS. Whether you

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will ever attain to that houfe, will depend on the manner in which you defend yourselves in this. A ftout vigilance for a fhort time will fecure you certain happiness for ever. But every thing depends on your prefent exertions.. complain and take advantage of my abfence, and call me a hard mafter, and grumble that you are placed in the midft of an howling wilderness without peace or fecurity. Say not, that you are expofed to temptations without any power to refift them. You have fome difficulties, it is true, but you have many helps and many comforts to make this houfe tolerable, even before you get to the other. Yours is not a hard fervice, and if it were, "the time is fhort." You have arms if you will use them, and doors if you will bar them, and strength if you will ufe it. I would defy all the attacks of the robbers without, If I could depend on the fidelity of the people within. If the thieves ever get in and deftroy the house, it must be by the connivance of one of the family. For it is a standing law of this caftle, that mere outward attack can never deftroy it, if there be no traitor within. You will ftand or fall as you obferve this rule. If you are finally happy, it will be by my grace and favor; if you are ruined, it will be you own fault."

When the gentleman had done fpeaking, every fervant repeated his affurance of attachment and firm allegiance to his master. But among them all, not one was fo vehement and

loud in his profeffions as old Parley the Porter. Parley, indeed, it was well known, was always talking, which expofed him to no small danger; for, as he was the foremost to promise, fo he was the flackeft to perform. And, to speak the truth, though he was a civil fpoken fellow, his master was more afraid of him, with all his profeffions, than he was of the reft who profeffed lefs. He knew that Parley was vain, credulous, and felf fufficient; and he always apprehended more danger from Parley's impertinence, curiofity, and love of, novelty, than even from the ftronger vices of fome of his other fervants. The reft, indeed, feldom got into any fcrape of which Parley was not the caufe in fome fhape or other.

I am forry to be obliged to confefs, that though Parley was allowed every refreshment, and all the needful reft which the nature of his place permitted, yet he thought it very hard to be forced to be fo conftantly on duty. "Nothing but watching," faid Parley; "I have, to be fure, many pleafures, and meat fufficient, and plenty of chat in virture of my office; and I pick up a good deal of news of the comers and goers by day, but it is hard that at night I must watch as narrowly as a house dog, and yet let in no company without orders, only because there is faid to be a few ftraggling robbers here. in the wilderness, with whom my mafter does not care to let ns be acquainted. He pretends to make us vigilent through fear of the robbers;

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