number died, from starvation or suffocation. When the bodies were drawn up from the pit, seven of the youths were discovered in a cavern separate from the rest. Among these was one of peculiarly moral and religious habits, whose daily reading of the Sacred Scriptures to his widowed mother, when he came up from his labours, had formed the solace of her lonely condition. After his funeral, a sympathizing friend of the neglected poor went to visit her; and while the mother showed him, as a relic of her son, his Bible, worn and soiled with constant perusal, he happened to cast his eyes on a candle-box, with which, as a miner, he had been furnished, and which had been brought up from the pit with him; and there he discovered the following affecting record of the filial affection and steadfast piety of the youth. In the darkness of the suffocating pit, with a bit of pointed iron, he had engraved on the box his last message to his mother, in these words :

"Fret not, my dear mother, for we were singing and praising God while we had time. Mother, follow God more than I did. Joseph, be a good lad, to God and mother.'"

This was faith; and, oh, what comfort did it give this poor boy in the hour of dying! and what comfort to the poor widow, as she wept over her dear son! May you, my dear children, all have such faith. Amen.

V.-GOD WILL TAKE CARE OF US.

"Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin."-Matt. vi. 28, 29.

How Christ preached-The rich man-God is very rich-Hogsheads of gold-Many cattle-Servants-Little boy and his sister-Charge to angels -The garden lily-The cold winter and the lily-The pond-Sermon by a lily-The poor heathen child-His lonely feelings-Comes to America-His death-Sailing of the missionaries-The hymn-The heathen kill their children-The weeping mother-The ostrich in the wilderness-Sorrows to come-When will God be a friend?

He

OUR Saviour used to preach any where, and every where, as he met with those who wanted to hear him. Sometimes he sat down on the ground, and sometimes sat in the boat on the water, and sometimes stood in the great Temple and preached. He used to be very plain, and easy to be understood. would have preached finely to children, and if he were now to speak to all these children before me, I do not believe there is a single one who would not understand all he should say. And yet it is possible, if any one wants to do so, to misunderstand even the Saviour himself. Now see. Suppose a lazy boy should read over my text, and then say, that Christ teaches us that God takes care of the lilies, though they do no work, and, therefore, we need not work, and he will take care of us in our idleness. This would be to make the Bible favour our sins; but the Bible never does that.

Suppose you should go and visit a man who was

so rich that he had his trees covered with silk of the most beautiful colours, and even his most ugly

looking creatures covered with gold and silver, and adorned by the most curious art! Would you not think him a rich man? And if he were known to be a good man, and true to his word, and he should tell you that he would be your friend, and always take care of you, would you have any fear that he

Iwould fail to do it?

God is richer than all this. He is so rich that he can put more of what is beautiful upon a single lily or tulip, than the great king Solomon could put on all his clothing. The hoarse, homely peacock carries more that is beautiful upon his tail than the richest king could ever show. And even the poor butterfly, which is to live but a few hours, has a more glorious dress than the proudest, richest man that ever lived. God can afford to dress this poor worm up so, because he is rich. If, then, he can afford to take such care of the lilies, the birds, and insects, and to make them more beautiful than man can ever be, will he not take care of us, if we obey him?

Suppose you had a rich father-so rich that he had a hogshead full of gold, and a great barn full of silver. Do you think that, if you were to be a good child, he would ever refuse to take care of you? But God has more gold and silver laid up the ground, which men have not yet dug up, than would make a mountain-it may be a hundred mountains. Can he not take care of you?

in

Suppose your father had more oxen, and horses, and cattle, than you cuold count over in a day, or in a week. Would he not be able to take care of

LITTLE GEORGE AND HIS SISTER.

53

his child, and give him every thing he needs? Yes. But God has "cattle upon ten thousand hills," and "every beast of the forest" is his, and his are "all the fowls of the air!" Can he not give you food from all these cattle, and clothe you, and give you beds from the feathers of all these fowls? Yes, he is able to do it all.

Suppose your father was so rich that he had ten thousand men at work for him every day, all paid to their mind, and all happy in working for him. Would you have any fears that he could take care of you, and do you good? But God has more servants than these. He has all the good people on earth in his employment, and all the angels in heaven. He pays them all. And if you need any thing, he can send one, or a million of these his servants to you, to help you.

A little boy asked his mother to let him lead his little sister out on the green grass. She had just begun to run alone, and could not step over any thing that lay in the way. His mother told him he might lead out the little girl, but charged him not to let her fall. I found them at play very happy, in the field.

I said, "You seem very happy, George. Is this your sister?"

"Can she walk alone?"

"Yes, Sir, on the smooth ground."

"And how did she get over these stones, which lie between us and the house?"

"O, Sir, mother charged me to be careful that

she did not fall, and so I put my hands under her arms, and lifted her up when she came to a stone, so that she need not hit her little foot against it." "That is right, George. And I want to tell you one thing. You see now how to understand that beautiful text, 'He shall give his angels charge concerning thee, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.' God charges his angels to lead and lift good people over difficulties, just as you have lifted little Anne over these stones. Do you understand it now?"

"O yes, Sir, and I shall never forget it while I live."

Can one child thus take care of another, and cannot God take care of those who put their trust in him? Surely he can; and there is not a child among you here to-day, over whom he is not ready to give his holy angels charge.

Did you never see the lily as it stands in the garden in the summer? God sends it the pure sunshine, and it seems to rejoice in his warm beams. He sends it the cooling dews, and it seems to drink in their sweetness like milk. The clouds gather, the storm rages, the rains pour down, the winds sweep along. See! the lily has shut up its blossom, and folded its leaves, and meekly bows its head, and bends to the wind, and asks no eye to gaze on it, while the storm lasts. God has taught it to do thus, till the smile shall again follow the tempest. It is not injured. It opens and smiles again. So does God teach the good. The Christian thus rejoices when blessed; and when troubles