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ANECDOTES AND SELECTIONS.

know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him for they know not the voice of strangers."

Now read this, and you will know better what he meant.

A man in the East was accused of stealing a sheep. He was brought before the Judge, and the supposed owner of the sheep was also present. Both claimed the sheep, and had witnesses to prove their claims, so that it was not easy for the Judge to decide to which the sheep belonged. Knowing the customs of the shepherds, and the habits of the sheep, the Judge ordered the sheep to be brought into court, and sent one of the two men into another room, while he told the other to call the sheep, and see if it would come to him. But the poor animal, not knowing the "voice of a stranger," would not go to him. In the mean time, the other man, who was in an adjoining room, growing impatient, and probably suspecting what was going on, gave a kind of "chuck," upon which the sheep bounded away towards him at once. This "chuck" was the way in which he had been used to call the sheep; and it was at once decided that he was the real owner.

And now read these words of your loving Saviour. "I am the Good Shepherd: the Good Shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of my hand."

Anecdotes and Selections.

IF THOU KNEWEST THE GIFT OF GOD.-Passing one day by Surrey Chapel in London, the writer noticed a drinking fountain placed at the corner of the wall enclosing the chapel. On one side of it sat a figure representing the Saviour, while on the other side the woman of Samaria was represented standing by the well; and above it was the inscription—“If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, 'Give me to drink,' thou wouldest have asked of Him, and He would have given thee living water." To-day the water-carriers in the cities of Egypt call water "The gift of God." Wonderful in its varied usefulness, plentiful, refreshing, and free, it is the fit emblem of the greatest gift which God has bestowed upon man. But yet this gift is neglected, is rejected by people who are dying of thirst, and who know of no way of escape, no source of life and peace. Lost sinner! if thou knewest the gift of God; if thou knewest the boundless riches of His goodness, the fullness of His grace, the abundance of His long-suffering, the tenderness of His compassion, the sweetness of His everlasting love,-"If thou knewest the gift of God," that gift would be sought with earnest longings and received with grateful joy. If thou knewest who it is that talketh with thee; if thou knewest the inward strivings of the Holy Ghost, the pleadings of the eternal Spirit, the moulding influence of the compassionate Saviour's love; if thou knewest who it is that has come down from heaven to save a lost world, and that has made Himself a Man of Sorrows that we might

ANECDOTES AND SELECTIONS.

live a life of joy; if thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that talketh with thee, "thou wouldest have asked of Him, and He would have given thee living water."

TEMPERAMENT AMONG CHRISTIANS.-It was observed of Mr. Durham, the expositor of the Song of Solomon, that he was so grave and quiet at all times, that he very seldom smiled or laughed at anything. Mr. Wm. Guthrie, minister at Finwick, met with him in a gentleman's house near Glasgow, some time before his last sickness, and observing him somewhat dull, endeavoured to force him to smile and laugh by his facetious and pleasant conversation. Mr. Durham was somewhat disgusted at this innocent freedom of Mr. Guthrie, and displeased with himself that he consented in any measure to be merry. But when Mr. Guthrie, agreeing to the laudable custom of that family, and at their desire, prayed with the greatest seriousness, composure, and devout liveliness, the good man seemed to be of another mind. When they rose from prayer Mr. Durham tenderly embraced Mr. Guthrie, and said to him, "O, William, you are a happy man; if I had been as merry as you were before you went to pray, I could not have been serious, or in a frame for prayer, or any other religious exercise, for two days." Thus the good man ceased to judge his brother, and saw that from diverse constitutions there are different manifestations, and so long as they are not sinful, they are to be tolerated even when we share in them. It would be wise on the part of many sombre saints if they would learn the like wisdom.

WONDERFUL MESSENGERS.-We learn from a London journal that certain experiments are going on in relation to despatches in the air of a very curious character. It seems that an ocean humming-bird, of great docility, intelligence, and spirit, has been found in Iceland, which flies at a speed of one hundred and fifty miles an hour, and is able to find its home over sea and land from any part of the inhabitable world. A pair of these birds, not long ago, brought despatches from Paris to a lonely spot in a wild and rocky part of Kent, within ten miles of London, in one and a half hours. Press carrier pigeons took the despatches on to the city, the whole distance from Paris to London, by actual parcel mode of conveyance, being done within one and a half hours. If the experiments at present being made, in training and educating them, continue successful, it is hoped by next summer to establish a daily miniature ocean mail between America and Europe, the whole distance between sunrise in one hemisphere and sunset in the other.

THE GATE OF ACCESS ALWAYS OPEN.-However early in the morning you seek the gate of access, you find it already open; and however deep the midnight moment when you find yourself in the sudden arms of death, the winged prayer can bring an instant Saviour near; and this wherever you are. It needs not that you ascend a special Pisgah or Moriah. It needs not that you should enter some awful shrine, or put off your shoes on some holy ground. Could a memento be reared on every spot from which an acceptable prayer has passed away, and on which a prompt answer has come down, we should find Jehovah, shammah, "the Lord hath been here," inscribed on many a cottage

THE FIRESIDE.

hearth, and many a dungeon floor. We should find it not only in Jerusalem's proud temple, David's cedar galleries, but in the fisherman's cottage by the brink of Gennesareth, and in the upper chamber where Pentecost began. And whether it be the field where Isaac went to meditate, or the rocky knoll where Jacob lay down to sleep, or the brook where Israel wrestled, or the den where Daniel gazed on the hungry lions and the lions gazed on him, or the hill-side where the Man of Sorrows prayed all night, we should still discern the prints of the ladder's feet let down from heaven-the landing-place of mercies, because the starting-point of prayer.—Hamilton.

HOPE.-Hope is necessary in every condition. The miseries of poverty, of sickness, or captivity, would, without this comfort, be insupportable; nor does it appear that the happiest lot of terrestrial existence can set us above the want of this general blessing; or that life, when the gifts of nature and of fortune are accumulated upon it, would not still be wretched, were it not elevated and delighted by the expectation of some new possession, of some enjoyment yet behind, by which the wish shall be at last satisfied, and the heart filled up to the utmost extent. Hope is, indeed, very fallacious, and promises what it seldom gives; but its promises are far more valuable than the gifts of fortune, and it seldom frustrates us without assuring us of recompensing the delay by a greater bounty.-Johnson.

The Fireside.

before

Singing or reading aloud increases the appetite for food, since the increased respiration which these exercises demand occasions a waste of the vital air, which requires to be renewed by food.

THE MEDICINE OF SUNSHINE.-The of those vapour movements by which world wants more sunshine in its the air is rendered, in some degree, disposition, in its business, in its obscure. Sir Isaac Newton observed charities, in its theology. For ten that the stars seemed nearer, and thousand of the aches and pains and better adapted for observation, in the irritations of men and women we clear intervals of rain, or commend sunshine. It soothes better showers, than at any other time. than morphine; it stimulates better than champagne; it is the best plaster for a wound. The Good Samaritan poured out into the fallen traveller's gash more of this than of wine and oil. Florence Nightingale used it on Crimean battle-fields. Take it into all the alleys, on board all the ships, by all the sick-beds: not a phial full, but a soul full. It is good for spleen, for liver complaint, for neuralgia, for rheumatism, for falling fortunes, for melancholy. We suspect that heaven itself is only more sunshine.

When distant objects appear to be unusually near, rain may be looked for, because when the air has nearly reached saturation there is a cessation

Brass becomes covered with a green coating because certain acids, or fat and oily matters, have the power of depositing on the surface of the metal green carbonate of copper, copper being one of the component parts of brass.

The nose and roof of the mouth are the sounding-board of the voice; the teeth, the bridge of the lips and tongue, on whose activity, form and skilful use depend the modulations of tone. The speaking voice is a machine, whose use children should be taught.

NOTES AND QUERIES-FACTS, HINTS, GEMS, AND POETRY.

Notes and Queries.

L. W.-You have yourself hit upon the right explanation: our Lord did deal with each case separately. He healed one by one, and not crowds together. Hence the difference of his treatment. He patiently and lovingly stooped to those of little faith to make their faith stronger.

G. F. A.-Why not? If you yourself pray for others, why should not the friends of sufferers, as we read in the New Testament, beseech Christ on behalf of their friends?

W. P.-Certainly not. There is no reluctance in God to hear prayer, or to answer it; but He sees that we are not ready for the answer, and there

fore delays it until He prepares us by the delay.

J. A. S.-Never. Christ Jesus, by the grace of God, tasted death for every man.

W. K. F.-Yes: election is always, whether of nations or of individuals, not made for their sakes alone, but that, through them, others may be blessed. God does the same now, when he sends one gifted man to be a helper to others. His gifts are not for his own glorification, but for the good of his fellowman, and for the praise of God.

N. F. S. Not necessarily: but state it again, and in other words.

Facts, Hints, Gems, and Poetry.

Facts.

Russia raises 1,928,568 tons of flax. Hemp grows wild throughout Japan. Pieces of ice rubbed together melt. A white or hoar frost is the ice of dew.

Hints.

The object of all knowledge is truth.

The pleasure of doing good is the only pleasure that never wears out. A true Christian may fall into sin,

All solids absorb heat when becoming but he will not lie down in it. fluid.

Keep clear of the man who does not

Ten thousand five hundred seeds in value his own character. a pound of wheat.

Sounds are distinct at twice the distance on water that they are on land.

Man and the dog are the only species that can support the two extremes of arctic cold and tropical heat.

If to a pound of newly-fallen snow were added a pound of water at 172 degrees, the snow would be melted, and 32 degrees would be the resulting temperature.

A return presented to Parliament shows the quantity of dead meat imported into the United Kingdom from the United States between August, 1877, and February, 1878, was 24,819

tons.

A lie is a hiltless sword which is sure to cut the hand of him who strikes with it.

No sea can drown, no storm can wreck, no abyss can swallow up the ever-living truth of God.

Many people are busy in this world gathering together a handful of thorns to sit upon.-Jeremy Taylor.

'Tis much easier to meet with error than to find truth; error is on the surface, truth is hidden in great depths; and the way to seek does not appear to all the world.-Goethe.

and

The beginning of faith is action; he only believes who struggles; not he who merely thinks a question over. -Carlyle.

FACTS, HINTS, GEMS, AND POETRY.

Gems.

Prayer is the voice of faith.-Horne. Too low they build who build beneath the stars.-Young.

We should often have reason to be ashamed of our most brilliant actions

One after another we see them pass,
Down the dim-lighted stair;
We hear the sound of their steady tread
In the steps of the centuries long since
dead,

As beautiful and as fair.

if the world could see the motive from There are only a few years left to love;

which they spring.-Rochefoucauld.

Music is the art of the prophets, the only art that can calm the agitations of the soul; it is one of the most magnificent and delightful presents God has given us.-Luther.

Every man's experience of to-day is that he was a fool yesterday and the day before yesterday. To-morrow he will most likely be of exactly the same opinion.-Charles Mackay.

Faith builds in the dungeon and the lazar-house its sublimest shrines; and up through roofs of stone, that shuts out the eye of heaven, ascends the ladder where the angels glide to and fro-prayer.-Bulwer Lytton.

"What is wanting?" said Napoleon, one day, to Madame Campan, "in order that the youth of France be well educated?" "Good mothers," was the reply. The emperor was most forcibly struck with this answer. 66 Here," said he, "is a system in one word."Abbott.

Poetic Selections.

SLIPPING AWAY.

THEY are slipping away-these sweet, swift years,

Like a leaf on the current cast;
With never a break in their rapid flow,
We watch them as one by one they go
Into the beautiful past.

As silent and swift as a weaver's thread,
Or an arrow's flying gleam;
As soft as the languorous breezes hid,
That lift the willow's long, golden lid,
And ripple the glassy stream.

As light as the breath of the thistle-down,
As fond as a lover's dream;

As pure as the flush in the sea-shell's throat, As sweet as the wood-bird's wooing note, So tender and sweet they seem.

Shall we waste them in idle strife? Shall we trample under our ruthless feet These beautiful blossoms, rare and sweet,

By the dusty way of life?

There are only a few swift years-ah, let
No envious taunts be heard;
Make life's fair pattern of rare design,
And fill up the measure with love's sweet
wine,

But never an angry word!

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Click, clack! another of wrong and sin;
What a checkered thing will this life be
When we see it unrolled in eternity.

Time, with a face like mystery,
And hands as busy as hands can be,
Sits at the loom with its arm outspread,
To catch in its meshes each glancing thread.
When shall this wonderful web be done?
In a thousand years, perhaps, or one;
Or to-morrow. Who knoweth? Not you
nor I,

But the wheels turn on and the shuttles fly.

Are we spinners of wool for this lite websay?

Do we furnish the weaver a thread each day?
It were better, then, O my friend, to spin
A beautiful thread than a thread of sin.

Ah, sad-eyed weaver, the years are slow, But each one is nearer the end I know; And some day the last thread shall be woven in.

God grant it be love instead of sin.

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