when a little boy at her knee, stood before him in shining letters. It was a lesson he heard repeated again and again; she was never tired of imprinting it on his memory before she died; it was her only legacy. In the gaiety of life he had forgotten it. He had lost his hold on it, but it had never quite lost its hold on him; and now, in this hour of peril, it threw out to him a rope of mercy. What was it? "God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life."

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He caught the rope; it seemed let down from heaven. "Lord, I believe," he cried ; save me, or I perish!" Till he died, a few hours after, he said little but this one prayer: "Lord, I believe; save me, or I perish!" a prayer never uttered by the penitent soul in vain.

That was a lesson worth more than all the gold of earth.

THE QUEEN AT A SICK-BED.

Ar a recent meeting at Cambridge on behalf of the Army Scripture Readers' and Soldiers' Friend Society, the Rev. H. Huleatt, chaplain to the forces at Aldershott, narrated the following anecdote, which he had received, he said, from one of the actors in the scene.

The incumbent of Osborne had occasion to visit an aged parishioner. Upon his arrival at the house, as he entered the door where the invalid was, he saw sitting by the bedside a lady in deep mourning, reading the word of God. He was about to retire, when the lady remarked, "Pray remain. I should not wish the invalid to lose the comfort which a clergyman might afford." The lady retired, and the clergyman found lying on the bed a book with texts of Scripture adapted to the sick; and he found that out of that book portions of Scripture had been read by the lady in black. That lady was the Queen of England.

THE FIJIANS AND THE BIBLE.

Ar a meeting in Australia for the purpose of forming a Bible Society, Captain Macdonald, one of the speakers, related an incident which had produced a great effect on his own mind. A vessel from California had reached the coast of the Fiji Islands, when suddenly, while the passengers and crew were giving way to thoughtless enjoyment, it struck upon a reef, and became a total wreck. When morning dawned, they found themselves cast ashore among the Fijians, whom they knew to be notorious as cannibals in past days, and utterly regardless of compassion to helpless ones like themselves. But what could they do? They sent off a party to the nearest hut, to see what might be the reception they were likely to meet with. The leader of the party entered the hut, and looked around, expecting to find a club, or barbed spear, or a tomahawk, with some wild native ready to wield it. But not so. To his amazement, he saw one black object lying, that arrested his attention; and this was a Bible. No sooner had he made this discovery than he said to his companions, "We are safe! Wherever that book is, there is no danger to be apprehended." And he was right; for the missionaries had been on that island some time before, and had taught the people there that word of God which brings to earth God's good-will, and leads men thereby to have good will to each other. The shipwrecked party were hospitably entertained till Captain Macdonald arrived in his ship, and conveyed them to their destination.

Young people! if that book take hold of a man's heart, the man forthwith becomes a new man. Why is this? Because " the word of God is quick [that is, living] and powerful." Yes; but why is it so? Because it is full

of God's thoughts; and then, also, the Holy Spirit delights to use it, because it is God's own mind and heart. Young people! prize your Bible. Search into it for the "Eternal Life," and send the Bible to other lands, that they also may know Eternal Life.

THE BETTER WAY.

A LITTLE boy was one day sent to an apothecary's for some medicine. He was gone a long while, so long that his mother directed somebody to go after him; but he came at last.

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Oh, my child," she exclaimed, "where have you been? Why were you gone so long? Tell me.'

Edward was frightened. His first thought was to make an excuse-to make a lying excuse-to say the doctor kept him; for it is not pleasant to be blamed or to suffer in consequence of our faults.

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'No, no, child," said the still small voice within, "for the world do not try to deceive. God sees you, and lying lips are an abomination to the Lord. Besides, your mother will one day find it out. In the judgmentday everything will be known. Be careful, above all things, not to make lying excuses.

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For

Edward heard the still small voice, and he was glad he did. Mother," he said firmly, "I stopped to play by the way. It was naughty and thoughtless in me. give me, mother, and I will try to do better next time. I am very sorry.'

FIRST ATTEMPTS.

GOD will accept your first attempts to serve him not as a perfect work, but as a beginning. The first little blades of wheat are as pleasant to the farmer's eyes as the whole field waving with grain.-Spurgeon.

WHAT LETS OUT THE TRUTH.

Ir professing Christians join in what is called worldly amusements-I ask nothing about their creed-they show their taste,-that is enough.-Jones.

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THE SILLY LITTLE BIRD.

WE were walking along by the river side, with a high mountain at our right hand, and a higher one at our left, on the other side of the river. As we passed under a tree, my companion stopped and with his stick turned over something that was lying on the ground. What do you think it was? Why, it was the body of a poor little bird! There," said the gentleman who was walking along with me, "that little bird has tried to fly before it was old enough, and has fallen down upon the ground and starved to death! That is just the way," said he, "with little birds. I have often seen one, when the feathers begin to grow a little, flap its little wings, and get up on the edge of the nest, and the old mother bird would become very much alarmed, and fly about and scream and try to keep the foolish little thing in the nest. But no! it knew best. It wanted to sail about in the air like the big birds! It wanted to dart after the flies, and pick from the ground the little worms, and eat them. Oh, wouldn't it have grand times! So

out it gets, and its wings not having feathers enough to fly with, down it goes! Now it can't get back. The mother bird can't help it back, and so it starves, or some horse, or cow, or man, treads on it and kills it." And so we passed on and left the silly bird dead on the ground.

And how often is it so with children! They think they are so big, and want to be independent. They are not afraid! Oh no! So Johnny insists on riding on horseback, and falls off and breaks his arm. Sally knows there is no danger in climbing that steep hill with other and larger girls, and she falls down and scratches her face and tears her dress. And in the graveyards are many who lost their lives because they thought they knew more than their parents.

Children, I have told you about a silly little bird: now read, or ask some one to read for you, about a silly and ungrateful son, from the 'fifteenth chapter of Luke. Then commit to memory the fifth commandment. Then make a resolution, by God's help, to keep that commandment as long as you live.

"MEET ME IN HEAVEN."

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B.

AN aged minister, not long ago, called on every family in his parish. Feeling it would be his last visit, on parting he took each by the hand and said, Meet me in heaven." What a blessed appointment to make. How many will keep it? Can we, as we meet and part from one dear child and another, from this and that beloved friend, say, "Meet me in heaven;" "Meet me in heaven ?" To meet there, we must here be heavenlyminded.

HOW A CHILD MAY BE KNOWN.

EVEN a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right.-Prov. xx. 11.