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into his heart by the Holy Spirit, which is reflected back to the throne of God from whence they came. Every grace is a reflection of one of His rays: they altogether form the pure white robe of the righteousness of Christ. Can you tell me the reason why God drowned the world?

Charlie. Man had become so wicked.

M. Will great wickedness again overspread the earth?

Annie. Yes; we are told so in Matt. xxiv. 37-39; 2 Thess. ii. 3, 4; 1 Tim. iv. 1-3.

M. A cloud of great darkness and wickedness will again overspread the earth, but the bow (the reflection of the righteousness of Christ) will be seen in the cloud. The Gospel will be preached to all nations for a witness, and there will be some who will receive it everywhere; the bright bow of Christ's Church will span the earth; God looks upon it and remembers his promise. The Saviour himself comes and " destroys that wicked one with the brightness of His coming. And the knowledge of the Lord shall cover the earth as the waters cover the seas."

CHAPTER III.

GRASS.

PSALM Xxiii." The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever."

Catharine. We have been reading Cowper's poems at school. There is one beautiful passage our teacher wishes us to read over and over again, until we have got it quite perfect. I shall repeat a little of it:

Acquaint thyself with God, if thou would'st taste
His works. Admitted once to his embrace,

Thou shalt perceive that thou wast blind before,
Thine eye shall be instructed; and thine heart
Made pure, shall relish, with divine delight,

Till then unfelt, what hands divine have wrought.”

M. I hope you will all do as your teacher wishes. It is not only because of its beauty he wishes you to learn it, but that you may remember the important truths it teaches. I am very glad you are reading it It will be of so much use to us in our con

just now.

versations.

We were to talk to-day about the grasses. There are no less than 2000 different kinds known. Cattle eat the leaves, birds the smaller, and man the larger seeds, as the grains. We shall talk a little about them first. When a farmer sows his field, what kind of seed must he sow to have a good crop?

Patie. He must sow good seed.

M. Yes; and this is very necessary, otherwise the health, or even the lives of those who eat the bread may be in danger. It is a very remarkable thing that the only really poisonous grass known is never to be found except in wheat fields-"the darnel," believed to be the tares of Scripture. The seeds, if ground with the wheat, and made into bread, prove very injurious to the health of those who eat it, producing delirium, stupefaction, and sometimes death.

Craigie. How can they prevent this grass growing

in wheat fields?

M. By examining the seed carefully, and picking out all that is bad before sowing it. It is not often met with in this country, but there is a great deal found among wheat seed which comes from the Continent. Wherever it is met with, it is a sure sign of bad husbandry. We have learned that the first thing to be done is to get good seed. Now tell me in what kind of ground the good seed must be sown?

David. The Bible tells us in the 13th chapter of Matthew, that it must be sown in good ground.

M. And what is the result of good seed being sown in good ground?

Flora. The Bible says it brings forth fruit, some an hundred-fold, some sixty-fold, some thirty-fold.

M. In a good field of wheat, one grain has been

known to produce from 40 to 120 stalks, reckoning 60 or 70 pickles to each stalk; and one pickle of oats has been known to produce no less than 116 stems, yielding the almost incredible quantity of 15,000 pickles. The farmer sows the good seed, and he prepares the ground to receive it; but can he make one single seed spring and grow up to a plant?

Jessie. No, that is impossible; God only can do that. M. And if the farmer did not use the proper means, or if he sowed no seed, could he expect any fruit?

Ada. No, certainly not; although God only can make the seed grow, it is quite certain that not one will come up, unless the farmer uses the means, and works very hard, too.

M. Quite right. Even in this God has given man the privilege of being a fellow-worker with Him. Tell me some of the means God uses to bring the wheat to perfection?

Patie. Pure air, rain, and sunshine.

M. Does the wheat become perfect all at once? Catharine. No, it grows by degrees, slowly but surely, until it is quite ripe, when it is cut down and gathered into the garner.

M. Now, tell me what our Saviour calls the good seed.

Charlie. The word of the kingdom--the Word of God.

M. And where is that Word alone to be found?
Frances Jane. In the Bible only.

M. Quite right. And those who teach must first of all be sure that the word sown is the pure Word of God, taken from the Bible, and the Bible only. Should that Word be mixed with doctrines of human

invention, it will be like poisonous seeds amongst. wheat. Nothing nourishes and strengthens the body more than good wheat bread, but we see if poisonous seeds get in, they bring disease and death, and it is exactly the same with the Word of God. Wherever

His pure Word is taught, there is a righteous people, and everything prospers; but no sooner does it become corrupted with the traditions of men, than spiritual disease and death follow, with great misery and wickedness. The reason why Britain has for so many years ranked as the first, the most powerful, and the most moral among the nations, is, because there has been so much of the good seed sown, and God has greatly blessed it, both with spiritual and temporal blessings. The Queen of England's dominions are more extensive than those of any other nation-the sun never sets on them; and what is far better, the Sun of righteousness never sets on them either. Wherever Britain has a foot of land, into whatever country she can gain admission, there the Gospel is preached; and she will continue to prosper, if the pure Word of God is faithfully preached. Very many in Britain are now labouring for the good of their country and the world; but the time is coming when God will call them away from this world, then you must take their place; and you must begin now-begin with your own hearts— then you will be sure to do good everywhere else, look to Jesus for a new heart-then the good seed will spring, and bring forth fruit abundantly. Now, I think we shall talk a little about the grasses. You will be astonished when I tell you that the sugar cane and bamboo are grasses.

Helen. I have seen bamboo fishing-rods and walk

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