Now, ye, who fortune's various gifts enjoy, Who bask in sunshine of her warmest rays; Ye, whom nor tempest, cold, nor want annoy, Whose days glide on in affluence and ease. Let not your hearts, by gaiety misled,

Be rendered callous to the tale of woe; But clothe the naked, give the hungry bread, Forbid the tear of wretchedness to flow.

For, know your fortune is the gift of heaven,
But not by heaven for you, alone, design'd;
In trust for generous purposes 'twas given,
And proves a blessing to the generous mind.

BIRDS OUR INSTRUCTORS.

When morning comes, the birds arise,
And tune their voices to the skies:
With warbling notes and hallow'd lays,
They show the great Creator's praise.

Shall we, then, from our chambers go,
Or any work presume to do;

Before we have sought the God of heaven,
And our just morning tribute given?

O let us, then, arise and pray,
And praise our Maker day by day;
Bless him for raiment, health and food,
And for each peaceful night's abode.

Let

every

bird's harmonious song,

Reproach us as we walk along;

Thoughtless of him, whose guardian power, Upholds, and keeps us every hour.

A MORNING HYMN.

To God, let my first offerings rise,
Whose sun creates the day;
Swift as his gladdening influence flies,
And spotless as his ray.

What numbers, with heart-rending sighs,
Have pass'd the tedious night!
What numbers, too, have clos'd their eyes,
No more to see this light!

Sound was my sleep, my dreams were gay ;
How short such time review'd!
My night stole unperceiv'd away;
I'm, like the day, renew'd.

This day, God's favouring hand be nigh,
So oft vouchsaf"'d before !
Still may it lead, protect, supply;
And I that hand adore.

If bliss thy providence impart,
For which, resign'd, I pray;
Give me to feel the grateful heart,
And without guilt be gay.

Affliction, should thy love intend,
As vice or folly's cure;
Patient to gain that blessed end,
May I the means endure !

If bright, or cloudy scenes await;
Some virtue let me gain!

That heaven, nor high nor low estate,
When sent, may send in vain.

Be this and every future day
Still wiser than the past;

That, from the whole of life's survey,
I may find peace at last.

LIVING TO GOD ALL DAY.

Thrice happy they who, born from heaven,
While yet they sojourn here,
Each day of life with God begin,
And spend it in his fear.

Midst hourly cares, may I present
My offerings at His throne;

And while the world my hands employs,
My heart be His alone.

As sanctified to noblest ends
Be each refreshment sought,
And by each various providence
Some wise instruction taught.

When to laborious duties call'd,
Or by temptations tried;
I'll seek the shelter of God's wing,
And in His strength confide.

As different scenes of life arise,
My grateful heart would be
With Thee, O God, in social hours,
In solitude, with Thee.

In solid, pure delights like these
Let all my days be past:

Nor shall I then, impatient, wish,
Nor shall I fear, the last.

Doddridge.

LESSON XXII.

WELL, my dear Wiliam and Mary, as I have finished my writing, I can now attend again to you. Suppose we take a short stroll in the fine garden of our neighbour, Mr. Good. You will like it! So shall I, very much. I have a key to the door, so we can let ourselves in, without troubling any one. William, shut the door after us. Garden doors should always be kept shut, that pigs and fowls may not get in, and do mischief among the shrubs and flowers. What a beautiful sight! Observe in what excellent order the walks, and the flowerbeds are. You cannot see a single weed; nor any loose stones, nor fallen leaves scattered. Neatness and regularity adorn a garden greatly. Let us walk through the shrubbery, and then we shall come into the centre of the garden, where the flowers are, and where stand the greenhouse and hothouse.

The trees whose branches hang in disorder towards the ground, and whose leaves are of so dark a green, are yew trees. Of their wood the English archers used to make their formidable long bows; and, therefore, it was formerly the custom to have two or three of them in every parish church-yard, that the yeomen might know whither to repair for that material of the weapon which gave them the superiority over their enemies. Farther on, are the firs, which surround the shrubbery like a belt. They are of various kinds. You see they differ in the

gene

form and colour of their leaves, and in their ral figure; but most of them grow tapering towards their summits, somewhat in the form of a pyramid. Some have leaves of a dark green colour, almost black; others of a lighter green; others of a bluish or sea green. Many of them are very hardy plants, growing on the tops of mountains, in Sweden, Norway, Scotland, and many cold countries. They yield tar and turpentine, and their timber is very useful.

That tall tree standing so straight and stately, and having large, broad, scalloped leaves is the palm-tree, and near to it, of inferior size but with leaves somewhat similar, is the sycamore, the wood of which is used for wooden dishes and various other purposes. That shrub which bears such beautiful flowers, white, with deep reddish purple colour in the middle, is the gum cistus; those flowers last only for one day, they fall in the evening, and fresh ones are produced in the morning. There is the laurel with its long oval leaves; see how delicate is their green colour, and how finely varnished and shining they are; wreaths of laurel were worn by triumphing leaders and other illustrious men, and the tree was dedicated to Apollo, the heathen god of science. In that sheltered cavity of the ground is the arbutus, or strawberry tree, the leaves and fruit of which are very pretty; and that tree which grows near it in the same hollow is the cedar; the cedar of Lebanon is a tree that rises to a prodigious height, and its trunk is proportionably large; its branches fall towards the ground, and form a thick and extensive shade;