PUNCTUALITY.

CHRISTIANITY AND

INFIDELITY.

Infidels should never talk of our

Washington was a minute man. An accurate clock in the entry at Mount Vernon controlled the move-giving up Christianity, till they can ments of the family. At his dinner propose something superior to it. parties, he allowed five minutes for Lord Chesterfield's answer, therefore, difference of watches, and then waited for no one. If members of Congress came at a late hour, his simple apology was, "Gentlemen, we are too punctual for you;" or, "Gentlemen, I have a cook who never asks whether the company has come, but whether the hour has come." Nobody waited for General Washington. He knew the value of time, and would not consent to be robbed, or to rob others, of that which could never be restored, or paid for.

SOLITUDE.

Solitude is the hallowed ground which religion has in every age chosen for herself. There her inspiration is felt, and her secret mysteries elevate the soul. There falls the tear of contrition; there rises towards heaven the sigh of the heart: there, the soul melts with all the tenderness of devotion, and pours itself forth before Him

who made and redeemed it.

to an infidel lady was very just. When at Brussels, he was invited by Voltaire to sup with him and with Madame C. The conversation happened to turn upon the affairs of England. "I think, my lord," said Madame C., "that the parliament of England consists of five or six hundred of the best informed and most sensible men in the kingdom." "True, madame, they are generally supposed to be so." "What, then, my lord, can be the reason that they tolerate so great an absurdity as the Christian religion ?" "I suppose, madame," replied his lordship, "it is because they have not been able to substitute any thing better in its stead: when they can, I don't doubt but in their wisdom they will readily adopt it.

WHAT IS GRATITUDE ? At a public examination of a school for educating the Deaf and Dumb at Paris, the following question was put to a pupil of the Abbé Sicard :— 'What is gratitude?' when he answered with great quickness, 'the memory of the heart.'

BAD PRECEPT.

UNNECESSARY MODESTY. My grandfather,' say Mr. Orton, once asked a very excellent but "Tell me," said a gentleman to a modest minister to pray in his family, poor drunkard, when urging him to when there were several others pre- give up the intoxicating cup, "where sent; he desired to be excused, alleg-it was you took your first steps in this ing that he had not thought of it, and intemperate course?" "At my fathere were so many other ministers ther's table," replied the unhappy present. My grandfather replied, young man; "before I left home to "Sir, you are to speak to your become a clerk, I had learned to love Master, and not to them; and my the drink that has ruined me. Bible tells me, He is not so critical first drop I ever tasted was handed and censorious as men are."" me by my now broken-hearted mother.

The

THE PREACHER.

A Gascon preacher stopped short in the pulpit; it was in vain that he scratched his head; nothing would come out. "My friends," said he, as he walked quietly down the pulpit stairs, "my friends, I pity you, for you have lost a fine discourse."

PATIENCE AND COURAGE.

small pittance, he deliberated with himself for a long time whether he should lay it out in the purchase of something to allay his hunger, or of a pair of shoes, of which he was in extreme want; and his countenance expressed the deep interest he felt in

this consultation. A merchant, seeing his embarrasment, asked him the cause, which he ingenuously confessed to him; and did so in a manner so agreeable, that the merchant, perceiving him to be a man of talent, took him home with him, to dinner, and thus settled the question. When Sixtus became Pope, he did not forget his old friend the merchant, but repaid

Courage is an occasional act or effort of the soul; patience, a continuous habit. Courage is the mission of some; patience, the duty of all. Courage courts observation, and sustains itself by every possible outward prop and stimulus; patience, is as a prince the service he had received lovely and quiet-its warfare is within, as a beggar.

its victory without sound of trumpet, for the eye of God and the award of heaven. Courage may give its strength

LIFE'S SALT.

Riches have made more men cove

to evil, and may nerve the arm of the tous than covetousness hath made thief or the manslayer; patience, dwells only in the bosom of piety, and always beholds the face of her Father in heaven.-Rev. A. P. Peabody.

THE RULING PASSIONS. M. P called on me one day, at the time when daily regulations were taking place in Paris, with regard to the change of the coinage. He told me he had just been visiting M. de L., a rich banker, who was on the point of death. The dying man, after telling him he was perfectly reconciled to the will of God, and recommending himself to his prayers, turned to him as he was leaving his bed-side, and said to him, "Well-any news of specie to-day ?"-Valesiana.

POVERTY & PROSPERITY. Pope Sixtus V. was so poor when he came to Rome, that he was obliged to ask alms. Having at last saved a

rich. As much as you excel others in
fortune, so much ought you to excel
them in virtue. Let great actions
encourage greater; and let honor be
your merit and your design. Recrea-
tion is a second creation, when
weariness has almost annihilated one's
spirits One hundred hours of vexa-
tion, says
the Italian proverb, will not
pay a farthing of debt. False wit
like false money, only passes current
with those who have no means of

comparison. The clouds that intercept

the heavens from us come not from the heavens, but from the earth.

LEARNING.

Human learning gives place to the knowledge of the word of God. A scholar, in the near view of eternity, said to his mother, "I have been endeavouring to obtain one of the highest seats in the literary world. but I can now willingly resign it, to obtain the lowest seat in heaven.'

MEAN MEN.

THRONES AND KINGDOMS.

"The liberal soul shall be made

Bajazet, after his capture, observing his conqueror to laugh at him, said, fat; and he that watereth shall be "Do not laugh at my misfortunes, watered also himself." How true that Tamerlane: it is God that has subdued is, even in all the relations of life. me, not you. He is able to reverse The liberal man never loses anything our situations, and to undo to-morrow by his generosity. On the contrary, what he has decreed to-day." Tamer- he gains by it for " he shall be watered lane, assuming a more serious counte- also himself" in return; and yet, nance, replied, "I did not laugh with strange as it may seem, the world is any design of exulting over you, but half full of niggardly, mean, pennyfrom a sudden impression of the low wise men. When will these men estimation in which thrones and king- have their eyes opened? When will doms must be held in heaven, since they divorce themselves from their royalty has been bestowed on such a littleness? blink-eyed man as you are, and such a limping one as myself.

DOES SUCH A QUALITY AS

REASON EXIST?

There are persons of much talent who treat reason as a chimerical existence, and wholly insufficient to demonstrate great metaphysical truths. But this is a mere sophism on their part; for in denying the existence of reason they do it with the aid of reason, or not in the latter case, they fail in their argument; and in the first, they betray their own cause, and establish that which they have undertaken to deny.

DEPLORABLE IGNORANCE.

It is related by a minister who resided at Bedford, that in taking a ride one afternoon, he overtook a decent-looking woman on the road, to whom, after a little conversation on other subjects had passed, he said, 'Good woman, you seem to be an intelligent person, pray, do you know anything of the Lord Jesus Christ?' She replied, 'No, sir; there is no such nobleman living hereabouts that I know of,'

THE GLORIOUS SUN.
Many have been the souls over-
whelmed with gratitude while
contemplating this "sublime illumina-
tor of worlds',-this " diamond of the
heavens"—this "golden lamp of God."
Amongst them we have Thomson, the
roet, who beautifully sings of the sun,
when he says,

of all material things first and best!
Effiux divine! Nature's resplendent robe !
Without whose vesting beauty all were wrapt
In unessential gloom! And thou, O Sun!

"Prime cheerer of all light!

Soul of surrounding worlds! in whom best seen,
Shines out thy Maker, may I sing of thee!"
And another poet, Baker, says of him,

"Along the sky the sun obliquely rolls,
Forsakes by turn, and visits both the Poles;

Divides the time, and measures out the year;
Different his track, but constant his career.
To climes returns where freezing winter reigns,
Unbinds the glebe, and fructifies the plains;
The crackling ice dissolves, the rivers flow,

Vines crown the mountain tops, and corn the

[vales below."

Of the sun when setting, the poet,
Rogers says-

"Lo! the sun is setting, earth and sky,
One blaze of glory;

And lessening to a point,

Shines like the eye of heaven."

Entelligence.

CITY OF LONDON. WEIGH-HOUSE SUNDAY SCHOOL. - For years the Sunday school (at present numbering 380 scholars) attached to the Weigh House Chapel, (Rev. Thos. Binney's), has been one of the most flourishing Sunday schools within the City. Many have gone forth from it well prepared to engage in the battle of life, from having learnt while young to take "truth for their creed, and God for their guide." Many of its late teachers are actively laboring as missionaries,

"Where Afric's sunny mountains,

Roll down their golden sands."

While others are occupying pulpits in this our island home. For the last few years its superintendent has been Mr. J. EBENEZER SAUNDERS, one of the members of the Court of Common Council for the Ward of Coleman Street. But we believe no form of usefulness has given him so much pleasure as that in which he has been engaged for many years, viz., Sunday schools. In consequence of now residing at Blackheath, he has lately resigned his office, and recently the teachers and senior scholars, at the close of the afternoon school, assembled to take tea and wish him farewell, presenting him at the same time with a richly bound copy of Kitto's Pictorial Bible, in 4 vols., accompanied by a beautifully framed and ornamentally written testimonial, signed on behalf of the teachers and senior classes, by W. Rogers, secretary; A. Whiteman, teacher of the girls' senior class; E. R. Cook, teacher of the boys' senior class. The girls of the second Bible class also presented him with an engraving elegantly framed (by Lloyd Brothers), illustrating the various scenes in Bunyan's "Pilgrim's Progress," designed by the Rev. D. White, and drawn by Billings, with an inscription in gold stating the object of the gift.-English Journal of Education.

WELSH CUSTOMS IN CONNEXION
WITH SUNDAY SCHOOLS.
It has been a common practice in the
Principality of Wales, during the greater
part of the last half century, for a num-
ber of schools to assemble together in
some convenient chapel, for the purpose
of reciting certain portions of scripture
and catechetical exercises prepared for
the occasion, and singing choice pieces
of sacred music, got up by the choirs of
the respective chapels and schools.
Four of these schools are accustomed to
meet at the Baptist chapel in this town,
and in one of the country chapels every
assemble at
Whit-Monday; others
Christmas, and we have found these
gatherings very beneficial in stimulating
the children, strengthening the hands
of the teachers, and exciting public at-
tention to the Sunday school.

The rehearsals at these meetings are not confined to children; but persons of all ages, from the child of seven years of age to the patriarch of seventy, all unite in these interesting exercises. Last Christmas morning being very wet, the rain falling fast, the schools from the country did not arrive in the town quite as early as usual; but soon after ten o'clock they made their appearance. Although by that time the rain abated a little, many of those that attended had been thoroughly drenched during the morning, yet they appeared quite cheerful and happy in once more meeting each other.

Three of the schools were catechised

by their respective ministers, repeated many portions of scripture, and sang various select pieces during the morning meeting; and, although the service lasted nearly four hours, yet the assembly exhibited no sign of being weary and fatigued, but the most lively interest was sustained to the close; and all, as far as we could judge, left the sanctuary rejoicing, and thanking God for what they had seen and heard.

and the ability of the young females who represented the parties, all united in rivetting the attention of the audience.

Although one recital followed another in an unbroken succession for more than three hours, with the exception of one short anthem sung by the choir, while we were re-arranging the parties on the platform, there was no flagging and the greatest decorum was maintained; and so far as we were able to ascertain, no person connected with this gathering was guilty of inebriety, or of any other conduct tending to mar the pleasure of the day.-(British Baptist Reporter.)

As it was now between two and three produced upon the congregation can o'clock in the afternoon, and the evening scarcely be described. But the chief meeting fixed at half-past five, we had piece of the evening was a debate not much time to enjoy the good cheer between the compulsory system and the so essential to the happiness of some voluntary principle in religion, supposed Christmas parties. While the young to be carried on between Lady Drusilla children and females from the country, and Dorcas. The importance of the and those who had their cattle to attend subject, the fairness of the discussion, to, returned to their respective homes, those of us who reside in the town, with other friends remaining from the country who resolved to stay till the evening meeting, hastened to take some refresh. ment. At half-past five we were again in the chapel, and, although it is a large and commodious building capable of seating more than 900 persons, it was soon filled and densely crowded in every part, so much so that even a standing place in the aisles could scarcely be obtained. The recitations in this meeting were confined to our own school, the members of which recited thirty-two select pieces in prose and verse. Several of them were of considerable length, and were repeated with accuracy. But those which excited the greatest interest PARK SCHOOLS.-These schools, in were the productions composed in the connexion with Wesleyan Methodism, form of a dialogue, in which more than have been in operation forty-five years. one person sustained a part; such as the Among its early promoters, but five or dialogue between the eye and the ear, six persons now live. But the fruit of in which each claimed the superiority their labor remains. Ministers of the as being of the greatest use to man, while Gospel, missionaries, local preachers, a third checked their vaunting speeches, and class-leaders are still laboring in reminding them that their services were the I ord's vineyard, who were taught mutual, and they ought to rejoice in in these schools the story of the Cross. each other's prosperity. Also a debate At present there are 71 teachers, who between Michael the archangel and supply alternately; and there are 257 Satan, in which the latter was reminded boys and 274 girls on the books. Of of his past sins and future doom. Ano- this number 207 are between the ages ther very interesting piece, and recited of six and nine; 147 between nine and with great effect, was a dispute between twelve; 85 between twelve and thirthe Christian and the Jew, in which the teen; 80 between thirteen and fifteen; latter was supposed to have been van- and 12 between fifteen and twenty quished by the Christian's proving from years of age. Of these, 183 are in atthe Old Testament predictions that tendance at a day-school; 2 have never Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah; attended any day-school; 82 have atand when the two young men represent-tended a day school five years; 20 are ing these characters sang together, at attending select classes; and 72 are in the close, a well known Welsh hymn of service or apprenticeship.

praise to Jesus as the Messiah, the effect

SHEFFIELD.