babe to nurse; and she brought it up ever afterward among her own little ones. Thus the covetousness of Kate was the cause of her death. And as it was with her, we may always find with ourselves,-that things unjustly come by never do any service: they always bring some canker or moth with them.

"After Kate's death, Nancy went to live in the house of a farmer in that neighbourhood; but little Sally continued to live with Jane. She went to school at all. times when Jane could spare her. She learned to read well, and to repeat the catechism; and she soon could sew and knit so well, that she mended and made all the clothes of the family; but, what was better than all this, she learned to know that dear Saviour who died for her; and was able, when she came home in an evening, to talk about him to Dobson and Jane; and, with God's blessing, she talked to so much purpose, that Dobson left off drinking in the alehouse, which he used to do before once or twice a week, and spent every evening at home, where he used to make Sally teach him to read. Jane had always had some notion of serving God; but now, from hearing her husband and Sally read the Bible, she got clearer notions of what religion is: she learned that her heart was sinful; and that she could in nowise save herself, but she must be saved through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ: 'For there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved.' Acts iv. 12. She learned, also, that those who possess real faith, commandments.

keep God's

"You cannot think what a change there was in Dobson's family when the father of it was brought to the knowledge of God. Dobson used to say, 'When we found our dear Saviour, Jane, we found every thing else: we found love for each other, love for our dear children, and all the comforts of the world.'' The stuff that the lady gave you, Sally,' Jane would say, has turned to wonderful profit: I wish I could see the lady, to thank her: it enabled me to send you decently to church; and from church you got to school, and from school you brought the Bible, and from the Bible we were brought to know our Saviour.' Dobson would add, And from our Saviour we hope for eternal happiness. And we shall have it too,' Jane would answer;

'because he that began a good work in us will surely finish it: for, as Sally read last night, "in Him is no variableness or shadow of turning."'

"Sally continued some years under the care of Jane, and became every year more and more useful to her; and as Jane's family increased-for she had five children of her own, besides poor Kate Wray's boy (whom she loved as well as her own)-Sally was able to do a great deal for them. At length, when Sally was fifteen years of age, poor Jane was taken ill with a fever, and died in the fear of God, placing her whole trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. And now it was that Jane's children received back tenfold all their mother's care and tenderness to Sally. This pious young woman lived ten years in Dobson's house after his wife died, and was like a daughter to him and a mother to his children: she managed for them, and taught them, and worked for them, just as their poor mother would have done had she been alive; and God so blessed her, that there was not a more pious or industrious family in all the parish. At the age of twenty-five she married a decent young man, and was settled in the cottage which once had been Wray's, so that she was not parted far asunder from old Dobson and his children. All Dobson's children lived and died in the fear of God, as is well known by several old people still living in those parts; making out the words of Scripture: Cast thy bread upon the waters, for thou shalt find it after many days.'" Eccles.xi.1.

When Henry had finished his story, he said, "I always knew that cheating and stealing were wrong; but I never supposed that any thing dishonestly gotten would bring a kind of curse with it, as that flannel seems to have done."

"My dear," answered Mrs. Fairchild, "we cannot very often tell how people get at their money, or clothes, or estates, because, when persons do any thing dishonest, they strive to hide it; but this I believe, that if we could know the truth of all these things, we should find that by some means or other, God always makes goods unjustly gotten to bring trouble and affliction upon their possessors: whereas, if a person has but a crust of bread and a cup of cold water, gained in an honest way, he enjoys it."

“Oh, mamma!" said Henry, "I thought I had read all the book; but here are two leaves that are not opened, with some printing between them. Lucy, lend me your scissors to open the leaves."

When Henry had cut the leaves, he found a very pretty prayer against covetousness, and a hymn; and as all children at times feel covetous, I shall put this prayer down here, for your use, with the hymn; and I advise you, whenever you feel inclined to this sin, to go into your room, or some quiet place by yourself, and use this prayer and sing this hymn.

Prayer against Covetousness.

O Lord God Almighty! blessed and glorious Three in One! from whom all good things come; give me grace, I humbly pray thee, to hate covetousness; for it is written in thy holy Book, "The covetous shall not inherit the kingdom of God;" and in another place, "No covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ." My heart by nature is very covetous; I am covetous of playthings, and of clothes, and of meat and drink, and of money, when I have any thing to do with it; and though I see how hateful covetousness is in other people, yet I do not hate it as I should do in myself.

O Almighty Father! take this great sin of covetousness out of my heart, by sending thy Holy Spirit into it: show me, by faith, the glories and exceeding riches of heaven, that I may desire a treasure in heaven, and not in this world: and that I may strive, by serving thee, to lay up my treasure there, give me a heart to divide and share what good things I have among my playfellows, and such poor people as are in need of them; and teach me to deny myself, that I may have more to give away; for "he that giveth to the poor, lendeth to the Lord."

O my God! thy saints and holy people hate covetousness. Oh, may I hate it also! Change, I pray thee, my evil heart, O Lord: change the evil heart of a poor child, who cries unto thee, not in his own name, but in the name of that dear Saviour who made himself poor that we sinners might be rich. Oh! for his dear sake give me a new heart, O Holy Father: to whom be glory and honour for ever and ever. Amen.

"Our Father," &c.

HYMN XIX.

LET Avarice from shore to shore
Her fav'rite god pursue;

Thy word, O Lord, we value more
Than India or Peru.

Here mines of knowledge, love, and joy,
Are open'd to our sight;
The purest gold, without alloy,
And gems divinely bright.

The counsels of Redeeming Grace
These sacred leaves unfold;
And here the Saviour's lovely face
Our raptur'd eyes behold.

Here light, descending from above,
Directs our doubtful feet;
Here promises of heavenly love
Our ardent wishes meet.

Our num'rous griefs are here redress'd,
And all our wants supplied;
Nought we can ask, to make us bless'd,
Is in this book denied.

For these inestimable gains,

That so enrich the mind,

O may we search with eager pains,
Assur'd that we shall find.

By this time it was one o'clock; and the haymakers left off their work, and sat down in a row, by the brook side, to eat their dinner. Mr. Fairchild called to his children from the place where he was lying, at a little distance, saying, "My dears, I begin to feel hungry. Lucy and Emily, see what Betty brought in the basket this morning; and you, Henry, go to the brook, and bring some water." So Henry took an empty pitcher out of the basket, and ran gayly down to the brook to fetch some water, while Lucy and Emily spread a clean napkin on the grass, on which they placed the knives and forks, and plates, with the loaf and cheese, and the

fruit-pie, and a bottle of beer for their papa; for Betty was gone back to the house; and when they had said grace, they dined: after which the children went to play in the coppice, and among the hay, for a little while. When they had played as much as their mamma thought fit, they came back, and sat down to work, as they had done in the morning, while Henry read the story in Emily's book.

THE HISTORY OF THE ORPHAN BOY, WHOSE MOTHER HAD FAITH IN GOD'S PROMISES.

"In a little flowery valley, near Tenterden, there lived once a certain farmer, who had a wife, and one little boy, whose name was Marten. The farmer and his wife were people who feared God and loved their neighbours; and, though they were not rich, they were contented. In the same parish lived two gentlemen, named 'Squire Broom and 'Squire Blake, as the country people called them. 'Squire Broom was a man who honoured God and his blessed Son; but 'Squire Blake was one of those men who feared not God, and was not ashamed to make an open profession of his infidelity. He was a very rich man, and was considered by the neighbours to be good-tempered. His lady kept a plentiful house, and was glad to see any one who came. They had no children, and, as they had been married many years, it was thought they never would have any. 'Squire Broom was not so rich as 'Squire Blake; and, though a very worthy man, was not of such pleasing manners: so that many people did not like him, though in time of distress he was one of the kindest friends in the world. 'Squire Broom had a very large family, which he brought up in an orderly, pious manner; but some of the neighbours did not fail to find fault with him, for being too strict with his children.

"When little Marten was about three years of age, his father was killed, as he was going to Tenterden market, by a fall from his horse. This was so great a grief to his mother, who loved her husband very dearly, that she fell immediately into a bad state of health; and though she lived as much as two years after her husband, yet she was all that time a dying woman. There was nothing in the thoughts of death which made this poor woman unhappy at any time, excepting when she