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"and you think my merciful Father is "ufing me unkindly by removing me "from a world of fin, and forrow, and "temptation, to fuch joys as have not "entered into the heart of man to con"ceive; while it would have better fuited

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your notions of reward to defer my entrance into the bleffedness of heaven, "that I might have enjoyed a legacy of a "few hundred pounds! Believe my dying "words,-ALL IS FOR THE BEST."

Mrs. Simpfon expired foon after, in a frame of mind which convinced her new friend that "God's ways are not as our 66 ways."

A

CURE FOR MELANCHOLY*:

SHEWING THE WAY TO DO MUCH GOOD
WITH LITTLE MONEY.

MRS. JONES was the widow of a great merchant. She was liberal to the poor, as far as giving them money went; but as the was too much taken up with the world, she did not spare so much of her time and thoughts about doing good as the ought; fo that her money was often ill beftowed. In the late troubles, Mr. Jones, who had lived in an expensive manner, failed; and he took his misfortunes fo much to heart, that he

*This was firft printed under the Title of THE COTTAGE Cook.

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fell fick and died. Mrs. Jones retired, on a very narrow income, to the small village of Wefton, where fhe feldom went out, except to church. Though a pious woman, she was too apt to indulge her forrow; and though she did not neglect to read and pray, yet she gave up a great part of her time to melancholy thoughts, and grew quite inactive. She well knew how finful it would be for her to feek a remedy for her grief in worldly pleasures, which is a way many people take to cure afflictions; but she was not aware how wrong it was to weep away that time which might have been better spent in drying the tears of

others.

It was happy for her, that Mr. Simpson, the vicar of Wefton, was a pious man. One Sunday he happened to preach on the good Samaritan. It was a charity fermon, and there was a collection at the door. He called on Mrs. Jones after church, and found her in tears. She told him fhe had been much moved by his difcourfe, and

fhe

she wept because she had fo little to give to the plate, for though she felt very keenly for the poor in these dear times, yet fhe could not affist them.

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Indeed, fir,"

added fhe, "I never fo much regretted "the lofs of my fortune as this afternoon, "when bade us go you and do likewife.""You do not," replied Mr. Simpson, "enter into the fpirit of our Saviour's 66 parable, if you think you cannot go and "do likewife without being rich. In the "cafe of the Samaritan, you may obferve, "that charity was bestowed more by kind"nefs, and care, and medicine, than by

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money. You, madam, were as much "concerned in the duties inculcated in my fermon as Sir John with his great "eftate; and, to speak plainly, I have "been fometimes furprised that you fhould "not put yourself in the way of being. "more ufeful."

"Sir," faid Mrs. Jones, "I am grown "fhy of the poor fince I have nothing to give them,"" Nothing! Madam?"

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replied

replied the clergyman; "Do you call

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your time, your talents, your kind of- : fices, nothing? Doing good does not: "fo much depend on the riches as on the heart and the will. The fervant who: improved his two talents was equally "commended by his Lord with him who "had ten: and it was not poverty, but "felfish indolence, which drew down for fevere a condemnation on him who had

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only one. It is by our conformity to “Christ, that we must prove ourselves "Chriftians. You, Madam, are not called "upon to work miracles, nor to preach the "gofpel, yet you may, in your measure and degree, refemble your Saviour by going about and doing good. A plain' "Chriftian, who has fenfe and leifure, by' his pious exertions and prudent zeal; 66 may, in a fubordinate way, be helping "on the cause of religion, as well as of charity, and greatly promote, by his "exertions and example, the labours of "the parish minifter. The generality, it

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