revisit; and the opportunity of doing good, which was thus afforded us, but which was suffered to pass unimproved, will consequently never return.”

Extract, Monthly Vol. of Tract Society, entitled "Australia, its Scenery, and Resources," pp. 111–114.

A SERMON ON MALT.

Mr. DODD was a minister who lived many years ago, a few miles from Cambridge, and having several times faithfully preached against drunkenness, some of the Cambridge scholars (conscience, which is sharper than ten thousand witnesses, being their monitor) were very much offended, and thought he had made reflections on them. Some little time after, Mr. Dodd was walking towards Cambridge, and met some of the gownsmen, who, as soon as they saw him at a distance, resolved to make some ridicule of him. As soon as he came up, they accosted him with, "Your servant, sir." He replied, "Your servant, gentlemen." They asked him if he had not been preaching very much against drunkenness of late. He answered in the affirmative. They then told him, they had a favour to beg of him, and it was, that he would preach a sermon to them there, from a text they should choose. He argued that it was an imposition, for a man ought to have some consideration before preaching. They said, they would not put up with a denial; and insisted upon his preaching immediately, in a hollow tree which stood by the road side, from the word MALT. He then began―

"Beloved, let me crave your attention. I am a little man, come at a short notice, to preach a short sermon from a short text, to a thin congregation, in an unworthy pulpit. Beloved, my text is MALT. I cannot divide it into sentences, there being none; nor into words, there being but one. I must therefore of necessity, divide it into letters, which I find in my text to be these M-A-L-T.

four,

M is Moral; A is Allegorical; L is Literal; T is Theological.

The Moral is to teach you rustics good manners. Therefore, M, My masters; A, All of you; L, Leave off; 'T, Tippling.

The Allegorical is, when one thing is spoken of, and another meant. The thing spoken of is Malt, the thing meant is the spirit of Malt, which you rustics makeM, your Meat; A, your Apparel; L, your Liberty; and T, your Trust.

The Literal is, according to the letters. M, Much; A, Ale; L, Little; T, Trust.

The Theological is, according to the effects it works. In some, M, Murder; in others, A, Adultery; in all L, Looseness of Life; and in many, T, Treachery.

I shall conclude the subject

1. By way of exhortation. M, My masters; A, all of you; L, Listen: T, to my text.

2. By way of caution. M, My masters; A, All of you; L. Look for; T. the Truth.

3. By way of communicating the truth, which is this— A drunkard is the annoyance of modesty; the spoil of civility; the destruction of reason; the robber's agent; the alehouse's benefactor; his wife's sorrow; his children's trouble; his own shame; his neighbour's scoff; a walking swill-bowl; the picture of a beast; the monster of a MAN."

THE INFIDEL AND LITTLE MARY.

IN the village of H-, in America, lived a worthy member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. She was a milliner, and employed a great number of apprentices, most of whom became subjects of a gracious revival in that place. One was distinguished for her remarkable gift and fervour in prayer-I think her name was Mary. There was another, whom I shall call Sally, who lived a few miles in the country, and whose father was a professed deist, these two became peculiarly attached to each other. On a

certain occasion, as Sally was going home on a short visit, she solicited and obtained liberty for Mary to accompany her; and by the blessing of God, the hard heart of the infidel was smitten.

The account given by the gentleman to the Rev. Mr. H- was as follows-That his daughter, when at home, had often spoken of Mary as being an extraordinary girl, and of her wonderful gift in prayer, &c.; that he really felt a strong curiosity to hear her pray, but doubted if she would do so in his presence. However, he thought he would propose the subject, and see what she would say to him about it. After the evening was nearly spent, he said to her, " Mary, my daughter has often spoken of you, and says you pray in your meetings; I should like very well to have you pray with us this evening.' For a few moments, all was profound silence. At length Mary, with great solemnity, replied, 'I will endeavour to, sir, if you will please to kneel with me.' "I was not expecting such a reply," said he, "but the request was too reasonable to be resisted. I knelt, and she prayed such a prayer I never heard in my life before." (Tears filled his eyes while he spoke.) "She prayed for me as the head of a family, that I might bring up my children in the fear of the Lord; and spoke of these things. Really, I cannot describe her prayer, but I never before felt so astonished. I had supposed that at their prayer-meetings one learned prayers of another; but I am now satisfied that flesh and blood never taught that child to pray in such a manner. I am fully convinced of the truth of Divine Revelation, and am resolved, by the grace of God, never to rest until I obtain a witness of God's pardoning love."

POETRY.

LINES SENT WITH THE BIBLE AS A
CHRISTMAS PRESENT.

DEAR MARY, it had crossed my mind

Some little boon to make,

Upon this pleasing festival,

That's worthy you to take.

FROST FAIR ON THE RIVER THAMES.

How wonderful is the effect of great heat or cold on water! Heat, of a certain degrec, causes water to boil, and expands it into steam; by which engines are made to perform many astonishing and useful works. Cold, of a certain degree, turns water into the solid substance called ice, and changes rain, as it falls, into fine white light particles, called snow. We have lately had in most parts of England, heavy falls of snow, which so filled up the roadways that travelling great extent hindered. Railway trains were unable to run until the masses of snow which covered the rails were removed.

was to a

In some instances travellers were

buried in the snow, and others, who were not lost in the

snow, were

by the great cold frozen to death.

When the air becomes cooled below what is termed the freezing point, the surface of water exposed to the air, congeals and becomes a hard solid substance, which gradually increases in thickness, while the air continues sufficiently cold to freeze; and dissolves when the air becomes of a

warmer

temperature.