gestion. It is true you have done a great deal of work in your time. So we have all, and are likely to do; and, although this may fatigue us to think of, the question is, whether it will fatigue us to do: would you now do me the favour to give about half-a-dozen strokes, to illustrate my argument ?"

The pendulum complied, and ticked six times at its usual pace: "Now," resumed the dial," may I be allowed to inquire, if that exertion was at all fatiguing or disagreeable to you?"

Not in the least," replied the pendulum ;-"it is not of six strokes that I complain, nor of sixty, but of millions."

"Very good," replied the dial, "but recollect that although you may think of a million strokes in an instant, you are required to execute but one; and that however often you may hereafter have to swing, a moment will always be given you to swing in."

"That consideration staggers me, I confess," said the pendulum.

"Then I hope," resumed the dialplate, "we shall all immediately return to our duty; for the maids will lie in bed till noon if we stand idling thus."

Upon this, the weights, who had never been accused of light conduct, used all their influence in urging him to proceed: when, as with one consent, the wheels began to turn, the hands began to move, the pendulum began to wag, and, to its credit, ticked as loud as ever; while a beam of the rising sun that streamed through a hole in the kitchen shutter, shining full upon the dial-plate, it brightened up as if nothing had been the matter.

When the farmer came down to breakfast that morning, upon looking at the clock he declared that his watch had gained half-an-hour in the night.

"FOR TWENTY YEARS." "HERE!" said a clear, manly, though I thought hurried, voice behind me. I was sitting in the court

room, my face towards the judge. I instantly turned round to see whose voice said "here!" Yes, he was "here." He stood up, a fine manly youth of about twenty years of age, as one would naturally judge. His face was pale, and his large black eye saw nobody but the clerk of the court, who stood with a paper in his hand. I then understood it. The young man was in the criminal box, and the paper in the hand of the clerk contained the sentence of the judge. Slowly the clerk opened the paper and read.

"Three days of solitary confinement, and twenty years in the State's prison."

Not another word was said. The officer turned, and the young man followed him to his long, long imprisonment ! I saw him go out of the door, and knew that I should never see him again. He had killed a fellow soldier, but some mitigating circumstances softened his sentence. My thoughts followed the poor young man.

Has he a father to bend and fall under the blow? Has he a mother to weep over his doom? How long will they live? They will die and leave their child in prison! Twenty years! Suppose he should live through the sentence, and come out, his youth gone, his friends all gone, the world changed-he will feel like a piece of drift-wood on the great waters! Old houses will be pulled down and new ones built. Old people now will all be dead. The little boy to-day, will then be a man. The little girl will be a woman then. The children in the Sabbath-school now, will be men and women then. How many graves will be dug before that day! The proud ships that now spread their sails will have all disappeared, some broken up because worn out, and many lost down in the dark, deep waters. All the horses and cattle now living will be dead. The judge who held the court, the jurors who tried him, the clerk who read his sentence, the officer who led him out, and the warden of the prison who received him,

will all very likely be dead! The carriage and the cars that carried him to prison will be worn out. The birds that sing to-day will all be dead then.

Twenty years! He will have grey hairs then. He cannot then begin life for this world. He may live to come out; but the blood of his fellow-soldier will still be on him. He cannot leave his guilt in the prison. Nothing but the blood of Christ can remove sin and take away guilt. Poor fellow! What if he say, "I am young-too young for such a doom!" But was he too young to kill a strong man? What if he say, "It's too hard to be condemned for twenty long years just for what I did in an instant! It took me but an instant to stab him!" Ah! human law and divine law don't ask how long it took you to commit the sin. Some people must try to think that God will not punish the wicked in eternity, because life here is so short! But here was a very mild punishment for what was done in the flash of an eye!

Was that poor fellow ever in a Sabbath-school? Did he ever have a teacher who loved him, and taught him, and prayed for him? Alas! I understand not. Was there no teacher who might have led him to the school? Was there no little boy who might have invited him?

Twenty years! Before he comes out, the hand that writes these lines will most likely be still in the grave. So may the hand that holds the paper and the eye that reads these words. Shall we be with Jesus then, or in a prison out of which there is no coming in twenty years? Rev. John Todd, D.D.

LITTLE HENRY'S FAITH. LITTLE Henry's father was a pious sea captain. Morning and evening the little boy bent the knee with his dear parents at the family altar; and morning, noon, and night he joined in his father's thanksgivings as they gathered around the family board.

But the time at length came when the captain must leave his family, and embark once more upon the

ocean.

After he was gone, as the family again gathered around the table, little Henry looked up, and inquired, "May I ask a blessing, mother?" Consent was given, and the little boy began: "O Lord, we thank thee for this nice bread and butter. O Lord, we thank thee for this nice beef-steak," mentioning other articles on the table, and reverently closed with "Amen."

When night came he was not willing that the family altar should be forsaken, and with his mother's consent he made his little prayer. Among other requests which he offered with all apparent earnestness and sincerity, were these: "O Lord, don't let a great wind come and break my father's ship to pieces. Lord, let my father get his ship full of oil, so he can come home quick."

After this evening !ittle Henry continued to pray; but his mother noticed that he did not pray so earnestly for his absent father. On being reminded of this, Henry with much feeling replied, "Mother, I have asked the good Lord to take care of my father; He has heard my prayer, and He is going to do it."

What a lesson to the cold and formal Christian, who for years may have repeated the same petition morning and evening, scarcely feeling that it is heard on high, much less that the good Lord "is going to do it." Well does the Saviour say to such, "Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter the kingdom of heaven."

"FEAR THOU NOT, FOR I AM
WITH THEE."-(ISA. XLI. 10.)
Weary pilgrim, why look sadly,
At thy sorrows on the way?
Surely Christ now hails thee gladly,
And reproves thee for delay.

Faint thou not, but onwards pressing

Look to Jesus for His aid;

ONE of the reasons why Christians do not attain to fuller and deeper and richer life, is, that they do not live by the day. Practically, they assume to themselves long livesample time for the performance of those duties and the carrying out of those plans which should be begun at once. They leave unsaid many words of cheer and counsel; they defer many kind acts; they neglect to enter many a bye-path of influence, giving as an excuse when conscience lifts up her quiet tone of reproach, "Time enough yet; I can do it to-morrow." The habit results from mental and moral inertia; from a desire common to all for present ease "yet a little more sleep, a little more slumber." One says, "I do not exercise the charity which I ought; I will begin the New Year with a different spirit." Another knows that he is penurious: "Next week I'll begin to give more." One thinks he is not exerting any direct influence for Christ; "to-morrow" he will be more faithful to souls. Another sees his business suffering through lack of forethought, and says, "Well, time enough yet! I'll look over matters systematically soon."

The indolent man says, "Monday I will go to work." The ignorant man fancies that at some indefinite future time he will be wise. The impenitent man hopes that at some time in the ample hereafter he shall make his peace with God.

Many pangs would it take away from death-bed reflections, were it our habit to live by the day. Many

lives that now seem futile would be saved to the Master, and to a world sorely in need of labourers. The gain in peace of conscience would be almost immeasurable. There are probably very few who, were the angel of death to knock for admittance at the close of some day in the midst of what is called "a career of active usefulness," would not say with sudden dismay, "Why, I have not really begun my life. I have been getting ready to live. I am not yet prepared to give account of one day of full living!"-Tract Journal.

THE HEAVENLY REST. "REST! how sweet the sound. It is melody to my ears! It lies as a reviving cordial at my heart, and from thence sends forth lively spirits, which beat through all the pulses of my soul! Rest-not as the stone that rests on the earth, nor as this flesh shall rest in the grave, nor such a rest as the carnal world desires. O blessed rest! when we rest not day and night, saying, "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty!" When we shall rest from sin, but not from worship; from suffering and sorrow, but not from joy! Oblessed day! When I shall rest with God. When I shall rest in the bosom of my Lord. When I shall rest in knowing, loving, rejoicing, and praising. When my perfect soul and body shall together perfectly enjoy the most perfect God! When God, who is love itself, shall perfectly love me, and rest in

His love to me, and I shall rest in my love to him; and rejoice over me with joy, and joy over me with singing, as I shall rejoice in him!"

A PORTRAIT.

INTERPRETER: Come in: I will show thee that which may be profitable to thee. So he commanded his man to light the candle, and bid Christian follow him; so he had him into a private room, and bid his man open a door, the which when he had done, Christian saw the picture of a very grave person hung up against the wall, and this was the fashion of it: it had eyes lifted up to heaven, the best of books in his hand, the law of truth was written upon his lips, the world was behind his back; it stood as if it pleaded with men, and a crown of gold did hang over his head. Then said Christian, what means this? Interpreter: The man whose picture this is is one of a thousand; he can beget children (1 Cor. iv. 5.), travail in birth with children (Gal. iv. 19,) and nurse them himself when they are born.-(1 Thess. ii. 7.) And whereas thou seest him with his eyes lifted up to heaven, the best of books in his hand, and the law of truth writ on his lips, it is to show thee that his work is to know and unfold dark things to sinners, even as also thou seest him stand as if He pleaded with men; and whereas thou seest the world as cast behind Him, and that a crown hangs over His head, that is to show thee that slighting and despising the things that are present for the love that He hath to His Master's service, he is sure in the world that comes next to have glory for his reward. Now, said the interpreter, I have showed thee this picture first, because the man whose picture this is is the only man whom the Lord of the place whither thou art going hath authorized to be thy guide in all difficult places thou mayst meet with in the way; wherefore take good heed to what I have showed thee, and bear well in thy mind what thou hast seen, lest in thy journey thou meet

with some that pretend to lead thee right, but their way goes down to death.-Bunyan.

THE GRIP OF FAITH. JOHN WELSH, one of the early Reformers of Scotland, born 1570, has given a lively picture of faith, which may serve to encourage some trembling believer :

"It is not the quantity of faith that shall save thee. A drop of water is as true water as the whole ocean. So a little faith is as true faith as the greatest. A child eight days old is as really human as one of sixty years; a spark of fire is as true fire as a great flame; a sickly man is as truly living as a well man. So it is not the measure of thy faith that saves thee; it is the sacrifice that it grips to that saves thee. the weak hand of a child that leads the spoon to the mouth will feed as well as the strongest arm of a man, for it is not the hand that feeds thee, albeit it put the meat into thy mouth, but it is the meat carried into thy stomach that feeds thee; so if thou canst grip Christ ever so weakly He will not let thee perish.

As

"All that looked on the brazen serpent never so far off, they were healed of the sting of the fiery serpent; yet all saw not alike clearly, for some were near at hand, and some were far off. Those that were near at hand might see more clearly than those that were far off; nevertheless, those that were far off were so soon healed of the sting, when they looked to the serpent, as those that were near at hand; for it was not their look that made them whole, but He whom the serpent did represent. So if thou canst look to Christ ever so meanly, He can take away the sting of thy conscience if thou believest; the weakest hand can take a gift as well as the strongest. Now, Christ is the gift, and weak faith may grip Him as well as strong faith, and Christ is as truly thine when thou hast weak faith, as when thou hast come to these triumphant joys through the strength of faith.