mentioned it to Sabbath School teachers, and, by it, urged them never to put off till the next Sabbath any duty which can be performed on this.

24. And since I have been a minister, when I have felt weary and feeble, and tempted to put off some duty to a more convenient season, I have recalled that scene to mind; and truly thankful shall I feel in the great judgment day, if you, my dear children, will learn from this simple story two things.

25. First. Remember and keep holy the Sabbath day. Had that dear child only obeyed this one short text, he would not have been called to the presence of God while in the very act of sin.

"This day belongs to God alone;

He makes the Sabbath for his own;
And we must neither work nor play
Upon God's holy Sabbath day.
26. ""Tis well to have one day in seven,

That we may learn the way to heaven;
Or else we never should have thought
About his worship as we ought.
And every Sabbath should be passed
As if we knew it were our last;
For what would dying people give

To have one Sabbath more to live!"

27. Secondly. Never to put off any duty, or any opportunity to do good, because you do not feel like doing it now. You may never have the opportunity again. Should you live and grow up, I have no doubt but you will be prospered and happy, that you will be respected and useful, very much as you keep the Sabbath. God will honor those who honor

him.

Questions.-Who alone knows about the future? What was the sign by which the man thought he might have known that one of his family would die that day? Are all such signs, as this about Old Rover, by which people sometimes think they can tell what is to happen hereafter, foolish and vain? Which of the ten commandments requires us to remember the Sabbath day? What two Rules for our conduct are given at the close of the Lesson?

What is the emphatic word in the last line of the 3d paragraph ?

LESSON XXIII.
The Dying Boy.

1. Ir must be sweet in childhood to give back.

The spirit to its Maker, ere the heart

Has

grown familiar with the paths of sin, And sown-to garner up its bitter fruit.

2. I knew a boy whose infant feet had trod Upon the blossoms of some seven springs,

And when the eighth came round and called him out To revel in its light, he turned away,

And sought his chamber, to lie down and die.
'Twas night-he summoned his accustomed friends,
And, on this wise, bestowed his last bequest:

3. Mother, I'm dying now!
There's a deep suffocation in my breast,
As if some heavy hand my bosom pressed;
And on my brow

4. I feel the cold sweat stand:

My lips grow dry and tremulous, and my breath
Comes feebly up. Oh! tell me, is this death?
Mother, your hand-

5. Here lay it on my wrist,

And place the other thus beneath my head,
And say, sweet mother, say, when I am dead,
Shall I be missed?

6. Never beside your knee

Shall I kneel down again at night to pray,
Nor with the morning wake and sing the lay
You taught to me.

7. Oh! at the time of prayer,

When you look round, and see a vacant seat,
You will not wait then for my coming feet-
You'll miss me there.

8. Father, I'm going home!

To the good home you spoke of, that blest land
Where it is one bright summer always, and
Storms never come.

9. I must be happy then;

From pain and death you say I shall be free,
That sickness never enters there, and we
Shall meet again.

10. Brother, the little spot

I used to call my garden, where long hours
We've staid to watch the budding things and flowers,
Forget it not!

11. Plant there some box or pine,
Something that lives in winter, and will be
A verdant offering to my memory,
And call it mine!

12. Sister, my young rose tree,
That all the spring has been my pleasant care,
Just putting forth its leaves so green and fair,
I give to thee;—

13. And when its roses bloom,

I shall be gone away, my short life done;
But will you not bestow a single one
Upon my tomb?

14. Now, mother, sing the tune

You sung last night; I'm weary, and must sleep.
Who was it called my name? Nay, do not weep;
You'll all come soon!

15. Morning spread o'er the earth her rosy wings,
And that meek sufferer, cold and ivory pale,
Lay on his couch asleep. The gentle air
Came through the open window, freighted with
The savory odors of the early spring :

He breathed it not the laugh of passers by
Jarred like a discord in some mournful tune,
But wakened not his slumber. He was dead.

LESSON XXIV.

Michael Blake and his Pocket Bible.

1. MICHAEL BLAKE was a godly man, but sadly given to despondency. Michael had met with a disappointment in his business, and, though it was not likely to be of very great consequence to him, yet it had the effect of weighing down his spirits, so that he mourned inwardly, and went along with his eyes fixed on the ground.

2. What an unthankful being is man! Let him be surrounded with mercies, if one advantage be denied on which

his heart is fixed, or one possession taken away in which his heart delights, he thinks more of the denied advantage, or the removed blessing, than of all the good things which have been so abundantly bestowed upon him.

3. Thus it was with Michael Blake, as he walked across the fields, brooding over the disappointment that had so much depressed his spirit. When he came to the low stile, over which an oak tree spread one of its thickest branches, he sat himself down, and gave way to a fit of repining, fearing he should come to poverty and want.

4. After a time, the balmy air so far revived him, that he lifted up his head, and gazed on the scene around him. The clear, blue sky above his head, and the fresh, green grass beneath his feet, were pleasant to the eye; and a cottage, at no great distance, appeared the very abode of cheerfulness, contentment, and peace.

5. Suddenly the sound of mirth burst from the cottage, and two lads, without shoes or stockings, ran forward, each with a crust in his hand, the one chasing the other across the field, hallooing and laughing: no sooner did they come to the little brook at the end, than, bending down on the grass, they drank a hearty draught, and then scampered on as before.

6. Michael Blake felt a change taking place within him, as he looked around. What had the poor bird to render it so happy? Nothing but its own wings and the air of heaven; but they were enough to fill its little heart with joy, and its mouth with a song of rejoicing. The ducks that dabbled in the pond, fluttered their wings with feelings of joy, because they could paddle about, and skim with their beaks the stagnant pond. The poultry roamed at liberty, picking up with delight the small seeds, and pecking at the green herbage. The old gray horse, though his ribs might be counted, and his hip bones stood up high, contentedly grazed in the pasture.

7. Michael Blake felt that neither the soaring lark, the paddling ducks, the strutting fowl, nor the old gray horse, had half his blessings; yet they repined not. The bare-legged boys worked hard for their bread at a neighboring brick kiln, yet they could indulge in mirth. He was ashamed of his guilty ingratitude. His trouble grew less and less, and his thankfulness increased, until, taking out his pocket Bible. he read a few verses in the Gospel according to St. Luke:-

8. "Consider the lilies, how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. If, then, God so clothe the grass, which is to-day in the field, and to-morrow is cast into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith! And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be of doubtful mind. For all these things do the nations of the world seek after ; and your Father knoweth that have need of these things. But rather seek ye the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added unto you."

ye

9. The heart of Michael Blake grew fuller as he read, and by the time he had finished the verses, his eyes swam with tears. Taking out his knife, he cut a notch in the bark of the oak tree, to remind him of his infirmity, and to rebuke him at some future time, if again he gave way to despondency. He then lifted up his eyes to heaven, and walked onwards with a cheerful' air, repeating the words, "The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want." "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life."

10. The soaring lark, the ducks, and the fowls, are all dead; the old gray horse and the shaggy ass are no more seen grazing in the field; the boys have gone forth from their homes, and the body of Michael Blake is mouldering in the churchyard; but the notch on the oak tree remains still; it is indeed plainer than ever, for, as the tree has grown, the cuts in the bark have opened wider and wider. Many who sit on the stile, fix their eyes on the notch, and know not what it means; but I, who do know, never gaze upon it without thinking of Michael Blake and his pocket Bible.

LESSON XXV.

The Crocodile and Alligator.

1. THE difference between the crocodile and the alligator is but slight. The body of the alligator is not so slender as that of the crocodile, and the upper part of its head is smoother. The crocodile sometimes grows to the length of thirty feet, though usually to no more than eighteen.

2. It is found both in Asia and Africa, and is met with in