Poetry.

ON THE DEATH OF A BROTHER.

My brother, oh, my brother!

If I had wings to fly

And join thy ransomed spirit
In realms of love and joy,

I'd give up earthly thought and care
To be with thee for ever there.

Thy toils and pains for ever o'er,
Above where sin can touch no more,
There let my spirit wing its flight
To be where there is no more night—
To sing, and praise God's holy name,
The Hallelujah chorus join.

Thy friends may weep and mourn their loss,
It is but right they should.

Could we but bear God's chastening rod

As children of the Lord,

Then should we all, by faith and prayer,

Meet our departed brother there.

3

W.

HOW MUCH DO I DESERVE?

How many poor indigent children I see,

Who want all the comforts bestowed upon me!

But though I'm preserved from such want and distress,
I am quite as unworthy of all I possess.

While I am partaking a plentiful meal,
How many the cravings of appetite feel!
Poor creatures as young and as helpless as I,

Who yet have no money their wants to supply.

If I were so destitute, friendless, and poor,
How could I such hardships and suffering endure?
Then let me be thankful, and humbly adore
My God, who has graciously given me more.
And since I with so many rich comforts am blessed,
May it be my delight to relieve the distressed;
For God has declared, and his promise is sure,
That blessed are they who consider the poor.

HOME; OR, MEET ME THERE.' 'A house not made with hands.'-2 Cor. v. 1. 'WHERE's your home?' I asked a child

'Sir, I have no earthly home; Both my parents God has taken,

I a little orphan roam;

But ere father dear departed,

He would speak of rest on high;
And he said that he was going
To a home above the sky.

"Meet me there," he said, and kissed me,

Look to Christ, in him believe;

Meet me there, you will, most surely,

If the Saviour you receive."
Then he prayed. His prayer is answered;
Christ is mine, his name I bear;

Now I often seem to hear him

Sweetly saying, "Meet me there!"

'There's my home, I would no other,
Centred there is all I love;

There my Saviour, father, mother,
All, all in the home above;

0.

CHRIST-SOUL.

Oft I dream of its bright glories,

Of its walls and streets so fair, And my heart will often answer"Father, I shall soon be there."'

Newport, I. W.

379

A. MIDLAVE.

CHRIST.

Can I forsake my heart's delight?
Thy end is precious in my sight.
I conquered death on Calvary,
And from its sting I will keep thee.
I will be near thy dying bed,
Amid the waves sustain thy head;
My rod, my staff, thy help will be.
In perfect peace I will keep thee.
I am the Ark that goes before,
To guide the pilgrims safe ashore:
At my rebuke shall Jordon flee;
In life, in death I will rebuke thee.

Then my sister, then my spouse,
I shall fulfil my sacred vows;
And thou in bliss my glory see,
When on my throne I placed shall be.

SOUL.

It is enough, my Lord, my love:
The hills, the mountains may remove,
But I shall still unshaken be-

Thy word is passed, thou shalt keep me.

ON LISTENING TO EVIL REPORTS.

All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them.'-MATT. vii. 12.

Whoever keeps an open ear

For tattlers, will be sure to hear
The trumpet of contention;
Aspersion is the babbler's trade,
To listen is to lend him aid,

And rush into dissension.-CowPER.

First. To hear as little as possible what is to the prejudice of others. Psalm lxiv. 2, 3, 4. Prov. xx. 19. Second. To believe nothing of the kind till absolutely forced to it. 1 Cor. xiii. 7. 1 Cor. iv. 5.

Third.-Never to drink into the spirit of one who circulates an evil report. 1 Tim. iv. 12.

19. 1 Cor. x. 12.

Rom. xiv.

Fourth. Always to moderate, as far as possible, the unkindness which is expressed towards others. Col. iii. 12-14. Prov. xvii. 9.

Fifth.-Always to believe, that if the other side were heard, a very different account would be given of the matter. Prov. xviii. 13. John vii. 24.

'DID HE GET IN?'

Charlie R had listened very attentively while his father read, at family worship, the third chapter of Revelations. But when he repeated that beautiful verse, Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him.' He could not wait until his father had finished, but ran up to him with the anxious inquiry, 'Papa, did he get in?'

'Has

He has knocked Open your heart, welcome, and this

I would ask the same question of every child. the Saviour got into your heart?' again and again-is knocking now. my dear child, at once, and bid him will be the happiest day of your life.

THAT man you see is working very hard. Do you know what he is doing? He is wielding an oldfashioned instrument called a 'flail' to thresh corn. We wanted a threshing mill for our illustration, but have got this odd-looking 'cut' instead. However, we trust that you will be able to learn something good from what we say about it. This way of threshing is to be seen still, in many country and island districts, where what are called 'small farmers' live, though it is now nearly out of date in most parts of the country. There is so much more done by the recently invented machines, wrought by horse or steam power, that this laborious way of working is fast disappearing. Some men, however, still use the flail,' and it is hard, hard work to swing it a whole day in the barn. We Nov., 1862.] [VOL. XIV., No. 176.