swelled with emotion, "Shall not this be a family in heaven?" In the closing aspirations, "O Lamb of God, that takest away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us, the solemn voice of the patriarch was distinctly heard with strong and emphatic emphasis. After a pause of silent adoration, all rose from their knees; and I entered the pious and happy circle. "I am a minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ," I said, as I entered; and I come to greet and bless you in the name of Lord."

The aged patriarch, grasping my hand, gazed on me for a few moments with intense earnestness a welcome such as words could never utter was written upon his brow.

"Thirty and two years has my dwelling been in this forest: hitherto no man of God has visited our lonely dwelling; praised be His holy name who has put it in your heart to seek out these few sheep in the wilderness. Secluded as we are from the privilege of worshipping God in His temple, we thus assemble every Sabbath-day to read His blessed book, and to pray unto Him in the words of the Liturgy of our fathers. Thus, by His grace, we have been preserved from forgetting the Lord who bought us, and lightly esteeming the Rock of our salvation.""

At the request of the patriarch, I administered the sacrament of baptism; it was

received with the most affecting demonstrations of solemnity and gratitude. The sacred services of the day were continued till the setting of the sun; yet all were alike unwilling to depart-it was to them a high, alas! a rare festival. When about to separate, the venerable patriarch introduced me to all his children. Each seemed anxious to press my hand; and even the children expressed, by their affectionate glances, their love and reverence for one who ministered at the altar of God.

"The Almighty," said the venerable man, "hath smiled on these babes born in the desert. I came hither with my sons, and their companions, and their blessed mother, who is gone to rest. milies as a flock. toil and patience.

God hath given us faWe earn our bread with For the short intervals of labour we have a school, where our little ones learn the rudiments of knowledge. Our only books of instruction are the Bible and Prayer-book."

At a given signal, they rose and sung, when about departing to their separate abodes, "Glory be to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will towards men." Never was my spirit so stirred within me, as when that rustic yet tuneful choir, surrounding the white-haired father, breathed out in the forest sanctuary, "Thou that takest

away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us." The following morning I called on every family, and was much delighted with the domestic order, economy, and concord, that prevailed. Careful improvement of time, and moderate desires, seemed uniformly to produce in them the fruits of a blameless life and conversation. They conducted, me to their school; its teacher was a grand-daughter of the lay reader. Most of her pupils read intelligently, and replied with readiness to questions from Scripture-history, &c. They had learned, moreover, what books of science can never teach,—

"Enough for man to know,

That virtue alone gives happiness below."

And consequently there was visible among them, what does not always distinguish our better-endowed and more highly instructed seminaries, docility, subordination, and attention.

FROM A NOVA-SCOTIAN NEWSPAPER.

To this pleasing illustration of the practical influence of true Church-principles, we may add the fact, that when the rebellion broke out in the colony of Canada, not a single member of the Church was found among the disturbers of the peace. In our own country, also, it was ascertained that

not one Churchman was concerned in the Chartist riots which took place in Monmouthshire in the year 1839. If all other professing Christians combine to forget it, let Churchmen at least remember, that loyalty and peaceableness are Christian virtues.

The Parish-School Child.

ON Sunday, December 11th, a little girl came into the school-room to tell me that her brother Joseph was very ill; that the doctors had cut a large swelling from his neck; that he would very much like to see his teacher, and often wept when he talked about it. "He says, too," she remarked to me in a very artless manner, that he thinks now that he has got religion."

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Joseph H was above nine years of age: he was quite old enough to have been long since transferred to the Sunday-school; but he appeared to be very fond of the infant-school, and I felt unwilling to remove him against his inclination. I had missed Joseph for two Sundays; but this circumstance, at so inclement a season, which, together with sickness, had reduced the school to one-half of its usual number, I did not

consider remarkable, especially as he resided a mile from the school.

As I went that afternoon to his mother's dwelling, I thought of his quiet and orderly behaviour: his conduct was so habitually good, that in the past year I do not remember to have had occasion to speak to him of any thing which he had either said or done. When I entered his room, he lay upon his little bed, with his face bound up, and looked exceedingly pale. He put out his hand, and seemed much pleased to see me.

He was a child of few words; but the conversation I had with him was quite satisfactory. While speaking to Joseph, his mother came into the room. She observed, she was glad I had called, as she thought it must be a great encouragement to me to know that some of the little boys seemed to profit by the instruction they had received.

Several years ago, as Joseph was near the fire, his clothes by accident caught fire, and having an apron tied close round his neck, the flames burnt his throat in a very distressing manner. After a long time, the wound was healed rather unskilfully. His mouth and lower jaw were drawn sideways, and quite down towards his neck; so that he could scarcely close his mouth, and he could not raise his head in an erect posture.