a jacinth, the twelfth an amethyst." Rev. xxi. 10-14, 18-20. These precious stones are of different colours: the sapphire is of a deep blue, the emerald of a bright green, the chrysolite a pale green, the topaz yellow, the jacinth and amethyst purple. Morning. "I LAID me down, and slept, and rose up again; for the Lord sustained me." Whilst it is dark the birds sleep quietly in the trees; and you, children, sleep quietly too in your beds. The same God that keeps the birds safe, keeps you; He gives sleep to all His creatures, whilst He watches over all. When the sun rises, the birds wake up and begin to sing among the branches. Then, too, you must awake from your sleep; you must get up and bestir yourselves. The birds welcome the new day with their songs; they seem to praise Him who made them. When you awake, you should lift up your souls to God; for God has given you souls as well as voices. The birds praise God without knowing Him; you ought to praise Him because you know Him. You should thank Him for your good night's sleep, and for letting you see the light of another day. The birds are cheerful, because they are without care; they have no fears for the morrow. God feeds them day by day; they take what He gives them, and spread their wings to fly, and stretch their little throats to sing. You are fed daily by God; for He teaches your parents to get food for you. They work for you, and take care of you; and you can live, as the birds do, without care. The birds are gay, because they mean no ill; they bear no malice, they plot no mischief. So you may be gay and merry-hearted, if you have no bad thoughts to hide, no pride and anger to trouble you. The birds do not know what will happen to them from day to day; nor do they fret themselves about what is coming-they never think of it. They never think of dying; yet they will die some day. You do not know what will happen to you whilst you live: but you know that some day you will die. And you know that through your life many evils might happen to you which you could not keep yourselves safe from. But you may be as free from care as the birds are; for God takes the care of you upon Himself. You need not fret nor fear. You need not think it sad that you must die some day; for God takes care of Christians all their life long, and gives them a better portion after death, if they have lived like Christians here. You need not take care for the morrow, because our Saviour Christ has said, "Behold the fowls of the air," &c. Matt. vi. Christian children may live like the birds of the airtaking their daily food as it is given them, praising God as well as they are able, living among the pleasant trees and in the fresh air, having light hearts and quiet consciences. "Who blusheth not to hear the birds every morning how sweetly and solemnly they sing their praises to God, and is so dull himself to do the like?" St. Ambrose. August. THE feast of St. Bartholomew is on the 24th of August. Poetry. CONSIDER THE LILIES. "BEHOLD the lilies of the field, Not Solomon upon his throne In brighter glory ever shone,— And yet they neither toil nor spin." Thus saith the Lord,-and bids us view Nor waste our thoughts in anxious care He feeds the ravens in their need- Untended through this world of woe? LINES ON AN INFANT Who died immediately after Baptism. This day beheld thy life begin, Freed from the sorrow, sin, and pain 'Twere even cruel to lament Our infant treasure gone; 'Twas only by our Maker lent To seal it for His own. E. C. C. Robson, Levey, and Franklyn, Great New Street, Fetter Lane. "THE heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament sheweth His handy work." Ps. xix. When the sky is dark, we see the stars shine out; one by one they glisten through the darkness. They seem like glorious lamps hung out by God to be a sign to us. Ps. xix. 1-3. They speak to us of the glory of God. Have we no answer to make? We look up at the stars shining in their brightness, and we know that God put them there. Have we nothing to say to the Almighty God who is so glorious? Dare we speak to Him? Yes; for He has told you that you may. Remember what David says, Ps. viii. 1-4. God, who has placed the stars in the firmament to declare His glory, wishes that His children on earth should shew forth His praise. At night, when the sky is dark, when one by one the No. IX. K stars shine out, you should, one by one, raise up your hearts to God and praise Him. You should be each of you as a light shewing forth God's glory-small lights, and faint, compared to the angels who serve Him above, but such as God has set each in its place to glorify Him. Our Lord Jesus Christ said, "Let your light so shine," &c. St. Matt. y. God's angels and saints are like the stars shining brightly to His glory. God's servants on earth are like lights seen far through the darkness around. The Church of Christ is made up of lights that glimmer thus, some far apart from others, yet all belonging to each other-all making up one great light. Try to shine to God's glory like a light on earth; and hereafter He may take you up to shine like a star in heaven. Now the stars are lit in heaven, From the God of our new birth; Dorcas Green. As I was walking in the fields one spring morning before my breakfast, I saw a girl sitting under a hedge eating some brown bread, and reading at the same time. She looked much more poor than the children I had been used to see in the town, and had no shoes or stockings on. Her bonnet was so old that the rows of straw hardly held together, and her frock and apron were worn thin, and so washed out that you could not tell their colour. Her face was very brown, and her hair very light, as is common with children who live in wild places, and are playing out of doors all day. She was a stout wellgrown girl; and her eyes were bright, and her smile pleasant. She was ready enough to talk, and told me her name was Dorcas Green, and she was |