obedience, and have less delight in duty than before. 3. It is a sign of decaying love, when we lose our tenderness of conscience, and wonted abhorrence of sin, Christ's enemy. 4. When we are more easy under Christ's absence and withdrawings, and less anxious for his presence. 5. When we lose our wonted appetites for our spiritual food and nourishment from Christ, in the ordinances. 6. When we lose our public spiritedness and concern for the interest of Christ's kingdom and glory. 7. When we are little concerned to have heart-holiness, which is Christ's image drawn upon the soul. 8. When we have little desire for Christ's second coming, or for the enjoyment of him in heaven. 9. When earthly mindedness and love to the world are on the growing hand.-Wilson, of Dundee. THE HAYMAKERS. The house that I have resided in for the last ten years is beautifully situated in a valley surrounded on all sides by wheat-fields, pleasant gardens, and luxuriant meadows; and often when standing at a window which commands a prospect for miles have I lifted up my heart in thankfulness to that God who has bestowed so many blessings upon us. On entering a field in the front of this house, one Saturday in the summer, I attracted the notice of some haymakers, sitting by the hedge, resting themselves after the fatigues of the morning; one imme diately approached me, begging, at the same time, I would excuse his rudeness, "but to-morrow," says he, "is Sunday." "Yes," I answered, rather surprised, "it is." "We cannot work on Sunday, lady," he rejoined. "O no!" I replied, "to be sure not." "Then," said the poor man, we shall have plenty of time for reading; would you be kind enough to give us a little book?" The manner in which these words were spoken so pleased me, that I immediately complied with his request and those that were with him; and as one after the other repeated his modest "Thank ye, miss," I could not help thinking that perhaps the grace of the Lord had entered the heart of some of those poor men; and I earnestly breathed the prayer that the tracts might be pro. ductive of some good. And now, dear reader, have you ever said to yourself, I cannot work on Sunday? or will these poor men rise up in judgment against you for neglecting it? I pray you to think of this; and may that sacred, holy day be looked forward to with more pleasure than it ever has been; and then, I am sure, when you enter the Lord's house in the morning, you will be constrained to say with the royal psalmist, "How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts!" "Surely the Lord is in this place, and I knew it not." Whatever you do, mind and always keep holy the sabbath "Day of all the week the best, Mary W. CHOICE THOUGHTS. God is a great God, and therefore he will be sought; he is a good God, and therefore he will be found. Do the Lord's work in the Lord's time; pray, whilst God hears; hear, whilst God speaks; believe, whilst God promises; obey, whilst God commands. It is not talking, but walking with God, that gives a man the denomi nation of a Christian. THE POOL OF SILOAM. A little above the fountain of En-Rogel, which leads up the valley of Jehoshaphat, there is a mulberry tree of unusual size, with a raised terrace, a favourite halting place for wayfarers and shepherds, who repose under its ample shade while their flocks are drinking from a channel filled with water conducted from the Pool of Siloam, which is a few paces above. It was not without emotion that we descended the steps of the fountain, worn and polished by ages; and seating ourselves under the cool, moist arch, a delicious shelter from the burning noonday beams of a July sun, reposed our weary limbs, listening to the gentle current of the "waters of Siloam, that go softly;" and drinking, with the palm of our hand, from the refreshing and limpid stream. As the Arab women of the valley came down to fill their pitchers, we remembered that the daughters of Judah frequented it two thousand years ago; that kings and prophets have drunk of its consecrated waters; and that, perhaps, Jesus and his disciples have often reposed on these very steps, in the course of his walks about the city. To describe the view before us: the path of the fountain is seen above the edge of the pool, on the right, and figures are descending the steps under its arch, down to the water, which flows out by a small orifice into the square pool, and then by a channel into the valley below, as before stated. The remains of pillars at the side, and in the basin, seem to indicate that, at a former period, it has been wholly or partially covered; and it has been supposed that this is also the "Bethesda" with five porches, where at certain hours an angel, according to the popular tradition, troubled the waters, which were then supposed to possess healing powers. This receives some countenance from the fact that there is a singular ebb and flow in the stream, noticed by many travellers, and lately witnessed by Dr. Robinson; but beyond this there is nothing to support the conjecture. It has been ascertained by the persevering Dr. Robinson, that the water is brought to the pool from that of the Virgin, higher up the valley, by means of a channel cut through the rocky hill of Ophel; a work of great, and, unless both fountains were in the city, of useless labour. Its length, as measured by him, is 1750 feet. From Bartlett's Walks about Jerusalem. KILLING BY KINDNESS. "When I was a lad," says Southey, "there was a black boy in the neighbourhood, of the name of Jim Dick. were one evening collected together at our sports, and began tormenting the poor black, by calling him blackamoor, and other degrading epithets. The poor fellow seemed excessively grieved at our conduct, and soon left us. We soon after made an appointment to go a-skating in the neighbourhood, and on the day of the appointment I had the misfortune to break my skates, and I could not go without borrowing Jim's skates. I went to him and asked him for them; 'O yes, John, you may have them, and welcome,' was his answer. When I went to return them I found Jim sitting by the fire in the kitchen, reading his Bible. I told him I had returned his skates, and was under great obligations for his kindness. He looked at me as he took the skates, and with tears in his eyes said to me, 'John, don't never call me blackamoor again,' and immediately left the room. The words pierced my heart. I burst into tears, and from that time resolved never again to abuse a poor black. I, and a number of my playfellows, ther, one of whom was apparently GREAT RESULTS FROM LITTLE MEANS. In an institution for the education of young men in America, out of 250 individuals there was not one who was a Christian; and though the minister laboured among them with great zeal, he seemed to labour in vain. At last he got a young man to go through the building and distribute religious tracts. He left a tract on infidelity in one of the rooms where two young men lodged toge of doubtful principles. The other, however, got hold of it and read it. It arrested his attention, and set his nind on inquiring. He soon after fell in with Dr. O. Gregory's "Letters," which led him to procure a Bible. The truths of that blessed book were brought home to his mind with great power, and he became a converted man. His conversion was the means of beginning a revival in the place, during which twenty others were hopefully brought to Christ, besides some of the professors. LIFE'S LEASE. "The length of our little life on earth is not for ever: no, Adam lost that estate, and he that lived longest, after Adam, came short of the number of a thousand years (see Gen. iii. 19); that was halved to somewhat less than five hundred (see Gen. xi. 10); and that again halved to little more than two hundred (see Gen. xi. 18, 19); Jacob yet halves it again to a matter of seven score (see Gen. xlvii. 28); and Moses halves that again to seventy or a little more (see Psa. xc. 10); nay, our time brings it from seventy to seven. Jacob yet brings it from years to days'Few and evil have the days (of the years) of my life been.' Well may we say, 'Teach us, O Lord, to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom,' Psa. xc. 12. Moses' arithmetic is worthy our meditation; let us learn of him to number; pray to God, our teacher; think every evening there is one day gone: thus, if we number our days, we shall have the less to account for at the last, when God shall call us to a final reckoning. You see now the time of our lease; our life lasts but (days), and although we live many days, yet 'in this thy day,' saith Christ; and we say, 'Give us this day our daily bread,' as if no day could be called thy day, but this day; if there be any more, we shall soon number them, as Jacob said, 'Few and evil have the days of my life been.' 'Spring and summer lead to winter, 'At the dawning of the morning, Mary W. KNOWLEDGE. "What an excellent thing is knowledge!" said a sharp-looking, bustling little man, to one who was much older than himself. "Knowledge is an excellent thing!" repeated he: "my boys know more at six and seven years old than I did at twelve. They can read all sorts of books, and talk on all sorts of subjects. The world is a great deal wiser than it used to be. Everybody knows something of everything Do you not think, sir, that knowledge is an excellent thing?" "Why, sir," replied the old man, looking gravely, "that depends entirely on the use to which it is applied. It may be a blessing or a curse. Knowledge is only an increase of power; and power may be a bad as well as a good thing." now. "That is what I cannot understand," said the bustling little man. "How can power be a bad thing?" "I will tell you," meekly replied the old man, and thus went on:"When the power of a horse is under restraint, the animal is useful in bearing burdens, drawing loads, and carrying his master; but when that power is unrestrained, the horse breaks his bridle, dashes the carriage that he draws to pieces, or throws his rider." "I see! I see!" said the little man. "When the water of a large pond is properly conducted by trenches, it renders the fields around fertile; but when it bursts through its banks, it sweeps everything before it, and destroys the produce of the field." "I see! I see!" said the little man, "I see!" "When a ship is steered aright, the sail that she hoists up enables her the sooner to get into port; but if steered wrong, the more sail she carries, the further will she go out of her course." "I see! I see!" said the bustling man, "I see clearly!" "Well, then," continued the old man, "if you see these things so clearly, I hope you can see too, that knowledge, to be a good thing, must be rightly applied. God's grace in the heart will render the knowledge of the head a blessing; but without this it may prove to us no better than a curse." "I see! I see! I see!" said the sharp-looking little man, "I see!" "As for the stork, the fir-tree is her house." Ps. civ. 17. We know not that in the whole range of Scripture birds there is one of a more interesting character than the stork. Its singular habits and its apparent filial affection have made it the subject of many moral and important lessons, both in sacred and profane writings, while as a mere object of enquiry and examination it is fraught with interest and instruction. In form it is very like the crane, only somewhat more corpulent, and instead of being of an ash and black colour, is white and brown. Its body is about the size of a large farmBIBLE CLASS MAGAZINE.] [JULY, 1849. H |