How very great that God must be,
Who rolls them through the air!
Too high, Mamma, to notice me,
Or listen to my prayer!
I fear he will not condescend
To be a little infant's friend.
O yes, my love; for though he made
Those wonders in the sky,
You never need to be afraid
He should neglect your cry;
For, humble as a child may be,
A praying child he loves to see.
Behold the daisy where you tread,
That useless little thing;
Behold the insects over-head,
That gambol in the spring ;
His goodness bids the daisy rise,
And every insect's wants supplies;
And will he not descend to make
A feeble child his care?
Yes! Jesus died for children's sake,
And loves the youngest prayer. God made the stars and daisies too, And watches over them and you.
For a child who has been very
naughty.
LORD, I confess before thy face
How naughty I have been ;
Look down from heaven, thy dwelling
And pardon this my sin. [place,
Forgive my temper, Lord, I pray,
My passion and my pride;
The wicked words I dar'd to say,
And wicked thoughts beside.
I cannot lay me down to rest
In quiet, on my bed,
Until, with shame, I have confest
The naughty things I said.
The Saviour answer'd not again,
Nor spoke an angry word,
To all the scoffs of wicked men,
Although he was their Lord!
And who am I, a sinful child,
Such angry words to say!
Make me as mild as he was mild,
And take my pride away..
For Jesus' sake forgive my crime,
And change this stubborn heart; And grant me grace, another time, To act a better part.
"Our Father who art in Heaven." GREAT GOD, and wilt thou condescend
To be my father, and my friend?
I, a poor child, and thou so high,
The Lord of earth, and air,and sky!
Art thou my father? Canst thou bear
To hear my poor imperfect prayer ;
Or stoop to listen to the praise
That such a little one can raise ?
Art thou my father? Let me be
A meek, obedient child to thee :
And try, in word, and deed, and
thought,
To serve and please thee as I ought.
Art thou my father? I'll depend
Upon the care of such a friend;
And only wish to do, and be,
Whatever seemeth good to thee.
Art thou my father? Then at last,
When all my days on earth are past,
Send down, and take me in thy love,
To be thy better child above.
"Early will I seek the Lord." Now that my journey's just begun,
My road so little trod,
I'll come before I further run,
And give myself to God.
And, lest I should be ever led
Through sinful paths to stray,
I would at once begin to tread.
In wisdom's pleasant way.
What sorrows may my steps attend,
I never can foretell;
But if the Lord will be my friend,
I know that all is well.
If all my earthly friends should die,
And leave me mourning here; Sin God can hear the orphan's cry, O what have I to fear?
If I am poor, he can supply
Who has my table spread; Who feeds the ravens when they cry, And fills his poor with bread.
If I am rich, he'll guard my heart,
Temptation to withstand; And make me willing to impart
The bounties of his hand.
But, Lord, whatever grief or ill
For me may be in store,
Make me submissive to thy will,
And I would ask no more.
It tells us how the world was made; And how good men the Lord obey'd; There his commands are written too, To teach us what we ought to do.
It bids us all from sin to fly,'
Because our souls can never die ;
It points to heaven, where angels
dwell;
And warns us to escape from hell.
But, what is more than all beside,
The Bible tells us JESUS died!-
This is its best, its chief intent,
To lead poor sinners to repent.
Be thankful, children, that you may
Read this good Bible every day;
'Tis God's own word, which he has
given
To show your souls the way to heav'n,
Against wandering thoughts.
WHEN daily I kneel down to pray,
As I am taught to do,
God does not care for what I say,
Unless I feel it too.
Yet foolish thoughts my heart beguile;
And when I pray or sing,
I'm often thinking, all the while,
About some other thing.
Some idle play, or childish toy,
Can sond my thoughts abroad;
Though this should be my greatest
To love and seek the Lord. [joy,
Oh! let me never, never dare
To act the trifler's part;
Or think that God will hear a prayer
That comes not from my heart!
But if I make his ways my choice,
As holy children do,
Then, while I seek him with my
My heart will love him too.
"A contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise."
THOUGH GOD preserves me ev'ry
And feeds me day by day,
know it is not in my power
His goodness to repay.
The poorest child, the greatest king,
Alike must humbly own,
No worthy present they can bring
To offer at his throne;
For we, and all our treasures too,
Are his who reigns above;
Then is there nothing I can do,
To prove my grateful love?
A broken heart he'll not despise,
For 'tis his chief delight;
This is a humble sacrifice,
Well pleasing in his sight.
Though treasures brought before the
Would no acceptance find, throne
He kindly condescends to own
A meek and lowly mind.
This is an off'ring we may bring,
However mean our store;
The poorest child, the greatest king,
Can give him nothing more.
The way to find out Pride. PRIDE, ugly pride, sometimes is
By haughty looks, and lofty mein;
But oft ner it is found, that pride
Loves deep within the heart to hide;
And, while the looks are mild and
It sits and does its mischief there.
Now, if you really wish to find,
If pride is lurking in your mind,
Inquire if you can bear a slight,
Or patiently give up your right.
Can you submissively content
To take reproof and punishment,
And feel no angry temper start,
In any corner of your heart?
Can you with frankness own a crime,
And promise for another time?
Or say you've been in a mistake,
Nor try some poor excuse to make,
But freely own that it was wrong
To argue for your side so long;
Flat contradiction can you bear,
When you are right, and know you
Nor flatly contradict again, [are;
But wait, or modestly explain,
And tell your reasons, one by one,
Nor think of triumph, when you've
done?
Can you in business, or in play,
Give up your wishes, or your way?
Or do a thing against your will,
For somebody that's younger still?
And never try to overbear,
Or say a word that is not fair?
Does laughing at you, in a joke,
Nonger, nor revenge, provoke ;
But can you laugh yourself, and be
As merry as the company?
Or when you find that you could do
To them, as they have done to you,
Can you keep down the wicked tho't,
And do exactly as you ought?
Put all these questions to your heart,
And make it act an honest part;
And, when they've each been fairly
tried,
I think you'll own that you have pride;
Some one will suit you, as you go, And force your heart to tell you so; But if they all should be denied, Then you're too proud to own your pride!
Tell him the mischief that you find
Forever working in your mind;
And beg his pardon for the past,
And strength to overcome at last.
But, then, you must not go your way,
And think it quite enough to pray;
That is but doing half your task;
For you must watch as well as ask.
You pray for strength, and that is
right;
But, then, it must be strength to fight;
For where's the use of being strong,
Unless you conquer what is wrong?
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Then, if you feel at all inclin'd
To brood upon it in your mind,
And think revengeful thoughts within,
And wish it were not wrong to sin,
O stop at once!-for if you dare
To wish for sin,-that sin is there!
'Twill then be best to go and pray
That GOD would take your pride
away;
Or if just then you cannot go,
Pray in your thoughts, and God will
know;
And beg his mercy to impart
That best of gifts-an humble heart.
Remember, too, that you must pray,
And watch, and labour, every day;
Nor think it wearisome or hard
To be forever on your guard;
No; every morning must begin
With resolutions not to sin;
How much you've fail'd in this re-
And every evening recollect
Ask, whether such a guilty heart Should act a proud, or humble part; Or, as the SAVIOUR was so mild, Inquire if pride becomes a child; And, when all other means are tried, Be humble, that you've so much pride.
Then look within ;-ask every tho't, My Father, I thank thee for sleep,
For quiet and peaceable rest;
I thank thee for stooping to keep
An infant from being distrest;
O how can a poor little creature re-
pay
Thy fatherly kindness by night and by day!
My voice would be lisping thy praise, My heart would repay thee with love ;
O teach me to walk in thy ways,
And fit me to see thee above; For Jesus said, "Let little children come nigh;"
And he'll not despise such an infant as I.
As long as thou seest it right,
That here upon earth I should stay, I pray thee to guard me by night, And help me to serve thee by day; That when all the days of my life shall have pass'd,
I may worship thee better, in heaven, at last.
An Evening Hymn.
LORD, I have pass'd another day,
And come to thank thee for thy care;
Forgive my faults in work and play,
And listen to my evening prayer.
Thy favour gives me daily bread,
And friends, who all my wants sup-
And safely now I rest my head, [ply;
Preserv'd and guarded by thine eye.
Look down in pity, and forgive
Whate'er I've said or done amiss; And help me, every day I live,
To serve thee better than in this.
Now, while I sleep, be pleas'd to take
A helpless child beneath thy eare;
And condescend, for Jesus' sake,
To listen to my evening prayer.
For a child that feels it has a wicked
heart.
WHAT is there, Lord, a child can do,
Who feels with guilt opprest?
There's evil, that I never knew
Before, within my breast.
My thoughts are vain; my heart is
My temper apt to rise; [hard;
And, when I seem upon my guard,
It takes me by surprise.
Whenefer to thy commands I turn,
I find I've broken them;
And in thy holy Scriptures learn,
That God will sin condemn.
And yet, if I begin to pray,
And lift my feeble cry,
Some thought of folly, or of play,
Prevents me when I try.
On many Sabbaths, tho' I've heard
Of Jesus and of heaven,
I've scarcely listen'd to thy word,
Or pray'd to be forgiven!
O look with pity in thine eye
Upon a heart so hard!
Thou wilt not slight a feeble cry,
Or show it no regard.
The work I cannot undertake
I leave to thee alone;
And pray, thee, for thy mercy's sake,
To change this heart of stone.
Against anger and impatience.
WHEN for some little insult given,
My angry passions rise,
I'll think how Jesus came from heav-
And bore his injuries. [en,
He was insulted every day,
Though all his words were kind; But nothing men could do or say Disturb'd his heavenly mind.
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