EVENING PRAYER.

Should a seraph wing his flight
From the realms of cloudless light,
Earth and ocean soring over,

Where would he best love to hover?

Not o'er halls of regal pride;

Not o'er fields with carnage dyed: Where 'mid shouts of triumph breathing Fame the Hero's brow is wreathing;

Not o'er cells of lettered age,

Not o'er haunts of hoary sage,

Not o'er festive scenes where pleasure
Moves to Music's magic measure.

But, the calm sequestered spot
And the lone, and lowly cot,
Where in pious reverence bending,
Childhood's prayer is heard ascending.

While the gentle mother nigh
Points that guileless prayer on high
To the God whose goodness gave her,
To the God who died to save her.

Surely there the Son of Light,

Would arrest his winged flight

Thence would bear to Heaven ascending
Prayers with heartfelt praises blending.

Gladly would he soar above

With that Sacrifice of love,

And through Heavens expanded portal

Bear it to the throne immortal!

REV. THOS. DALE.

PROVIDENCE.

IN 1814, when the troops of Russians and Cossacks were near the town of Sleswick, fearful reports of the behaviour of the soldiers were brought from the country every day. On the outskirts of the town was a solitary house, in which dwelt a poor old woman, her daughter and a grandson. The pious old woman was praying in the words of an ancient hymn, "that God would raise up a wall around them." Her grandson, a young man about eighteen years of age, could not help saying that she was asking for what was impossible, but the poor woman's faith was stronger than her fears. At midnight of the fifth of January, the troops entered the town; the snow had fallen heavily all day, and it proved a terrible day for those whose houses were not near that of the old woman. Not a knock or any noise was heard at her door, to the great surprise of its inmates. The next morning they saw the cause. The snow had drifted to such a height as to render an approach impossible.

Things are not to be done by the effort of the moment, but by the preparation of the past moments.-Cecil.

AN ECCLESIASTICAL BIOGRAPHY.

W. F. HOOK, D. D., Vicar of Leeds. Vol. VIII.
Rivingtons; Leeds: T. Harrison.

By the Rev.
London:

As that most valuable and useful work, Dr. Hook's Ecclesiastical Biography, is now completed, we beg most earnestly, (not from any idea, that our recommendation can add to its own intrinsic worth,) to recommend its perusal to all our adult readers, whose avocations demand the information it so happily imparts.

SINCERITY IN RELIGION.

RELIGION is nothing without sincerity. We must be in earnest, else it is mere acting and hypocrisy, and that will pass for nothing with God. And the secret spring of earnestness is faith. Let faith open a man's eyes to see the realities around him; shew him the misery which throughout all ages awaits the ungodly; the blessedness, such as eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath entered into the heart of man, which God hath prepared for them that love Him; shew him Christ, first taking our nature upon Him, and shedding forth His blood upon the Cross, and then sitting upon the Judgment-seat; shewhim God ever present with him, yea, trying his heart and reins;—let faith bring such a prospect as this before his view, and let the Spirit of God at the same time touch his heart with the sense of it, and he will have no choice left him but to be in earnest.

God grant us all this precious faith, amd quicken us from the death of sloth and sin, and raise us up to newness of life, that we may press forward seriously and earnestly, and may bend ourselves with all simplicity and godly sincerity both towards Himself, and towards our fellow men, for Jesus Christ's sake.

REV. C. A. HEURTLEY.

When we have scarce remembered the morrow what we did yesterday, there is a diary in which nothing we did is left out,, and as much notice taken when we did nothing at all. -Clarendon.

WHY WERE YOU NOT AT SCHOOL LAST SUNDAY?

(Continued from page 160,-No. 7.)

MRS. BEVAN continued, "Well, I must pass on to the next, Alice Weston, why were you absent ?"

Alice. I've no clothes to come in ma'am.

Mrs. B.-Oh, Alice, think what you are saying! How can you stand there and tell me you have no clothes, while at this moment you have on a tidy print frock and strong shoes, and your straw bonnet and plaid shawl are warm and respectable-looking? Is it not something very like a falsehood to make such an excuse? And is it not very ungrateful to Almighty God, who has provided your parents with the means of procuring you comfortable raiment, whilst so many children have hardly rags to cover them? I very much fear Alice, that as you grow older you are falling into a very common temptation for young girls, a love of dress. You are not content with plain, tidy clothes, but wish for ribbons, flowers, and smart dresses, which are very unbecoming in your station of life. Is it not so?

A.-Father and mother like me to look nice.

Mrs. B-Of course they do, and they are quite right, but in order to look nice it is not necessary to be smart. Only keep yourself clean and neat, and do not think about finery, a love of dress is generally a step to far greater mischief. It has already led you into the sin of staying away from Church and School, because you could not appear in as fine clothes as you wished, and only think of the sin that must be in the sight of God,-forsaking His House of Prayer for so vain an excuse! Pray to Him, my dear child, for strength to

resist this temptation, and overcome your vanity and false pride.

Now, Louisa, you have been absent very often on Sundays lately, and when you do come, you are generally very late, what is the reason of that?

Louisa.-Please, ma'am, it is so cold in the mornings, I can't get up early enough.

Mrs. B.-I do not call that a good reason, Louisa, I dare say you do find it hard to get up early of a cold morning, but you are well and strong, and ought not to give way to such feelings, but exert yourself to be at School in time, however much self-denial it may require. Self-denial is a blessed thing, especially commanded us, and no one, young or old, ought to shrink from it. Besides I think if you consider a moment, you will see that it is towards your teachers to give up what you

very ungracious

may learn from

them for so poor an excuse. If all the ladies who attend this School can get up early and come out on cold mornings to teach you little girls, surely it is not too much to ask you to come and be taught. It is not more unpleasant for you than for them. Do you see what I mean?

L.-Why yes, ma'am, it does seem very ungrateful-like to our teachers if we stay away from School without good reason. I'll try and be in time next Sunday.

Mr. Bevan having finished all she had to say on this subject, soon after left the School-room, leaving the girls to think over, and we will hope to profit by, the advice she had given them.

I would ask you, my dear children, who have read the above conversation, to pause a moment and think over the