nothing may be lost," and to copy the ant, "which provideth her food in the summer"-which, by checking intemperance and waste, removes many obstacles to the reception of instruction, and which, by relieving the poor from the pressure of anxiety in temporal things, is calculated to render them less unwilling to attend to those which are spiritual and eternal.

"For think not, ye who read this humble page,

That things of earth alone our care engage.'

Far brighter prospects animate our toil,

Far brighter hopes our work of love beguile.
In meek dependence on His power alone,

Whose grace can melt and pierce the heart of stone,
We seek from weeds of vice to free the soil,
That fruits of righteousness may crown our toil;
That they who now, for earthly comforts' sake,
The haunts of sin and misery forsake,
Henceforth, by better hopes and prospects led,
The paths of peace and holiness may tread,

And seek the prize their Saviour's blood has bought,
'A treasure in the Heav'n that faileth not.'"

Lines from the Cottager's Monthly Visitor.

THE HAPPINESS OF REUNION WITH CHRIST.

OUR blessed Lord, in his last conversation with his disciples, before he suffered, says, in the 22nd verse of the 16th St. John, " And ye now therefore have sorrow; but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you." How reviving was the accomplishment of this promise to his disciples, when, on returning from his empty tomb, they found all their hopes alive again, their faith confirmed, and their courage rendered invincible, in the sight and the enjoyment of their Master! But, if the continuance of this for forty days could inspire so great a joy, what raptures and transports must possess all the faithful when they shall attain the end of their faith, when they shall see, and dwell, and converse, and reign with their dear Lord for ever; when their bodies shall be glorified, this veil of flesh and frailty taken away; when faith and hope shall cease, and be swallowed up in fruition; when they shall be drawn into the likeness of God, and see him as He is?

Of the joys of the present life we have but a slippery hold; and, were they more substantial than they really are, yet the pleasure in them must be damped by the melancholy prospect that they will one day forsake us; and we know not how soon they may. But the joys promised by our Lord to his faithful followers, as they are true and solid, so are they eternal, without interruption, without conclusion, liable to no decays of nature, no wasting of time; nothing without to destroy them, nothing within to diminish or impair them; subject only to the will of the Almighty Giver, and given by Him never to be taken back. DEAN STANHOPE.

ON FRIGHTENING CHILDREN.

Ir is a very sad thing to think of, that, in this Christian land, there are, in many parts, people weak and foolish enough to believe in all the strange stories which were told and listened to in days of ignorance and darkness, when there was no instruction given to the children of the poor, and when very few people could either read or write. In those days it is not to be wondered at that strange stories of ghosts and apparitions should be told and believed, and that the people should crowd round the fireside, and listen till the parties could hardly dare to look round them for fear of seeing a ghost; and that the little children were frightened at the thoughts of going to bed; and, when they got to bed, were kept awake all night with the fear of seeing some of the frightful creatures they had been hearing of. These things make an impression on the minds of children, which perhaps lasts them all their lives, and makes them think of a ghost whenever they are about in the dark; and they would sooner meet a wild bull than go through a churchyard at night. It is of very great consequence that these idle and false tales should be kept out of the hearing of children.

Then there are fortune-tellers, and pretended witches, and wise women who often get a great deal of money from young women who are very unwise. I hope none of our readers will ever listen to such foolish nonsense as these people dish up for them, and make them pay for.

us.

Let truth be the rule of us all! Where truth is the principle, it must prevail in the end, and then all comes right. Falsehood can serve only for a little while, and will lead to the everlasting confusion of those who follow it. We know very well, that, if it pleased the Almighty, He might raise again to earth those who are lying in their graves, either that they might alarm us or instruct We know that He might now bestow on men the gift of prophecy, that they might tell us what we might expect to be the course and the events of our lives. These things have been, when the mighty purposes of God required it; and might be again, if it should please the Almighty Power to work by such means. But, when God works, it is for mighty purposes. He can bring these about by the simplest means; and his glory is set forth in all his works, and in all his dealings with his people.

How idle, then, and how wicked it is, to listen to those people who pretend that they know what is to happen to us; sometimes telling us of good fortune, and getting well paid for it; and alarming others with fears and terrors, who perhaps cannot pay so well, but will be tempted to come again for better news with a little more money in their hands.

Wherever there is a place so ignorant as to trust these impostors, young people, especially young women, should be warned against the snare. Children should be taught the folly of such things.

There is another thing as to which we should all of us be very careful,-I mean, the frightening of children by false accounts, or by what are called tricks and jokes. The consequences of this are often very serious and distressing. A frightful figure, dressed up in white, may give such alarm to a child, as to make it a coward all the days of its life. Sometimes the fright may have a serious effect on its health; and a sudden alarm has frequently been found to have destroyed the faculties, and even the life. I must conclude this paper with an account which I have just cut out of a newspaper, and which, Mr. Editor, if you think it will do any good, you can get your printer to put into your book.

ý.

"Two CHILDREN TERRIFIED TO DEATH.-A few weeks since two children, belonging to a man named Brown, formerly a waiter at the Globe Hotel, Exmouth, the one four and the other a few years older, were sent by the mother, who keeps a mangle, after a basket of clothes, and were met on the way by some boys, one of whom had on a most hideous-looking mask. The boy, seeing the children frightened, ran after them, repeating some gibberish, which frightened them more, and, having followed them until they turned the corner of the street, transferred the mask to another boy, who managed again to meet the poor children, who returned home instantly, when their parents, seeing them so pale and trembling very much, inquired what the matter was, which they explained as well as they could. The shock, however, was so great, that they never recovered it; their health declined daily. The one died three weeks after, and the other died on Wednesday last. Each of them in his illness often exclaimed, He is coming.' 'I see him!' There he is!' with other like expressions.' -Exeter Gazette.

"DO ALL IN THE NAME OF THE LORD JESUS."

A LETTER lately received from a Missionary in New Zealand contains some intelligence which may instruct, if not put to shame, many professed Christians in Christian England. It tells us how they ask for the blessing of Almighty God before they do any thing for the purpose of gaining their livelihood; and states that, before they knew the true God, they used always to pray for success to the gods whom, in their ignorance, they then worshipped.

The Missionary writes: "All the people to-day have gone to fish. On these occasions they start before it is light, and, when they arrive at their fishing-ground, they assemble all the canoes together, and have prayers before they commence fishing; thus invoking, as it were, the Divine blessing on their labours, that they may be enabled to throw their nets on the right side. Even in their heathen state they never thought of

hunting or fishing without first offering up their prayers to their false gods."

A truly devout and believing man may more be known from his common every-day actions, and especially his secret acts, and the thoughts of his mind, than by the outward acts of public attendance in places of worship, and the public profession of his belief. Does he pray to God for a blessing on those things which even he, in common with the worldly man, highly values and loves, such as his business, his farm, and his merchandise? Does he look to God as the Author and Giver of good things of every kind, both temporal and spiritual; and does he never think of beginning any undertaking or entering on a day's business, without such earnest prayer as will show his entire dependence on the Most High, for the supply of his daily bread? This will tend to show us whether our religion is practical or not, whether it is always with us, like " a voice behind us when we turn to the right hand or turn to the left." The ungodly only hear God on Sundays; the child of God hears his Father's voice every day, and continually its blessed and welcome counsel and encouragement sounds in his inward ears, and speaks to his spirit within him. He does not turn away from this delightful, instructive, and wholesome reproof; his ear is not disobedient, nor does he turn away back; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving he makes his request known unto God. This is the cause of his mental peace and tranquillity, of his hopefulness in all troubles, and his contentment in all conditions. The peace of God keeps his heart and mind through Christ Jesus. If he fails in his undertaking, he not only is humbled in himself from the sense of his weakness and inability, but he also knows that God is present in his trouble, and it is sanctified to his soul's benefit. But, if he succeeds well, he receives it with tenfold joy and consolation, because the happiness he feels is sanctified and increased by that thankfulness of spirit which enables him to say, "I love the Lord because he hath heard the voice of my supplication."

E.