were many women in those days, who "ministered to him of their substance ;" and there are many men and women in these days who do the same. We have his own word for this ;--" inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these, ye have done it unto me;" and "the poor ye have always with you.' What an honour does Christ put upon us, in allowing us still to minister to Him! If any one then should say, "Lord, if thou hadst been here, how happy should we have been to make an entertainment for thee, and to give thee the best that our table affords ?" let them try their sincerity by this test: let them inquire, Do we feed the Lord's poor ? is it our pleasure and business to minister to the necessities of the saints? if not, they may be assured that Jesus would not value their officious attentions to himself: for if they really loved him they would "keep his commandments."

But, reader, when Jesus hungered, would you, had be passed your door, willingly have parted with any luxury, any superfluous article of dress, to procure him refreshment ?—Then assuredly you will also be willing to deny yourself such things now, that you may have something to give to his members; and if you do so, this is your reward, that you "do it unto Him."

These thoughts are applicable when we are in circumstances that need his special help. Are we sick, or are any dear to us in danger? let us not say, "Lord, if thou hadst been here, I, or my friends, should not die;" for behold, the power of the Lord is still present to heal: it is He who gives to the physician his skill, and to means efficacy and when he withholds it, it is because “it seems good in his sight."

:

But the recollection of the Saviour's constant presence, is never so consolatory as when we feel our need of a spiritual physician. Young reader, are you ever concerned about the welfare of your soul? do you ever feel your need of a Saviour, but doubt whether he will

1

hear you? do you feel uncertain where to seek him? did you ever exclaim, "Lord, if thou hadst been here, I would have come to thee like the poor leper, and have said, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean ?" O then, no longer say in thine heart, "Who shall ascend into heaven to bring Christ from above?" seeing he is ever nigh thee; and if thou wilt but come to Him, and believe in thine heart, and hear the word that he whispers there," thou shalt be saved."

Then how gladly will you join the triumphal chorus with those children of old, saying, "Blessed is the Son of David! Hosannah in the highest!"

"Not with our mortal eyes

Have we beheld the Lord;
Yet we rejoice to hear his name,
And love him in his word."

XXXIII.

A PERSON OF CONSEQUENCE.

HAVING announced in the title what sort of company may be expected, our readers, we hope, will prepare themselves with their best bows and most courteous behaviour. Perhaps they may imagine they already hear the rattling of wheels, the trampling of horses, and then the thundering rap that bespeaks high company. Whether they will be disappointed or otherwise, will depend upon their respective tastes and habits, when we beg leave to introduce little Betsey Bond, daughter of John Bond the journeyman carpenter. The truth is, that until her present introduction to the readers of the Youth's Magazine, she, like Cowper's lace-maker,

"Had ne'er been heard of half a mile from home."

So that it behooves us to give our reasons for denomina

ting this poor child, who is but just turned of twelve years old, a person of consequence.

Now if our readers could but take a walk into a neighbouring village, and enter the cottage where Betsey lives;-if they could only know how much she has been missed, and how often she has been wanted, only during her present absence from home, the thing would explain itself.

Those persons are of most consequence in the world, who would be most missed if they were out of it. By missed, it is not merely meant that the place and persons that now know them would then know them no more; for this meaning would apply to the most insignificant or the most troublesome people that breathe; but by missed we understand that their place in society, whether it be high or low, large or small, is not likely to be so well filled up. Now, according to this explanation, how many persons of consequence there are, who are, really, of no consequence at all!

"what

Betsey's parents are but poor people; they have a large family, and her mother has an ill state of health. In order to make a little addition to her husband's earnings, she exhibits in her cottage window a few articles for sale :-such as, a scanty assortment of tea, tobacco, and snuff; papers of pins, shoestrings, and gingerbread; two-penny loaves, brass thimbles, and suckers; earthenware, button-moulds, and red-herrings. Now with this concern, bad health, and always a baby in arms, she should do," as she says, "if it was not for her Betsey, she can't tell, nor nobody else. There are five little boys, of no use in the world, that have to be looked to; and there's the baby! and there's the shop! so that, if it was'nt for Betsey !". why Betsey is up by times in the morning, long before her mother is stirring; lights the fire, sweeps the house; washes and dresses her little brothers, gives them their breakfasts,

and gets them ready to go off to school; and all this by the time her mother comes down stairs: and what a comfort it is to her, to see all this done for her, so poorly as she is of a morning! Then nobody knows but they that see it, what a good hand Betsey is for minding the shop. Though she is always busy at her needle, or washing, or ironing, or something of the kind, yet the moment the bell rings, there she is behind the counter, with a smiling face, and a civil word for every body : yes, and just as civil to a child that only comes for a farthing sucker, as to a customer who wants two ounces of green tea. Who is it that mends John Bond's shirts so neatly; and that runs his stockings at the heel, so that they last as long again? O, why, it is his daughter Betsey. And who is it that waits on her mother when she is ill, like an old nurse;-or rather unlike an old nurse?-this too, is Betsey. So that we may fairly appeal to our readers whether, according to the strictest sense of the word, little Betsey Bond is not a person of consequence.

To render this more apparent, let us for a moment bring forward another visiter. But do let us allow poor Betsey to make her escape first; for she would colour down to her fingers' ends to be detained before such grand company. Go then Betsey; run home to your mother as fast as you can; for she wants you sadly, and is wondering "what in the world she shall do if you don't come home presently."

And now, although the young lady we are about to introduce is well dressed, well behaved, and very respectable in her connections; we must, (adhering to the definition that has been given of the term,) announce her as a person of no consequence. It will be proper however to remark, that nothing could have surprised this young person much more than to have heard herself so described because it was the earliest, and is still the

uppermost idea in her mind, that she is somebody of consequence. So that her astonishment at such a designation could only be exceeded by that of little Betsey Bond if she had overheard our introduction of her. It was a fundamental fault in the education of this little lady, that the first feelings of self importance instead of being checked, were cherished by the ill-directed fondness of her parents. Therefore we ought to pity her mistake. And now, they themselves suffer most severely from the effects of it. There is nothing that we can discover in the person, manners, or education of this girl, to distinguish her, particularly, from thousands and tens of thousands of her age and class in society. In all these respects she may pass very well; but how is it, that with nothing more to boast than is common to others, she feels of so much consequence!

But we have yet to substantiate our charge: although indeed, in the view of the more discerning reader, this is already done. To say that a person is consequential is much the same thing as saying they are not of much consequence. But, more particularly, we have called this young lady of no consequence, because all she ever appears to aim at is to serve and to please herself. She has been tolerably attentive to the various branches of her education she has some activity and cleverness in common things: she has a good taste in dress, and in other similar affairs; you may see her for hours at her instrument, or at her drawing book, or at her needle, and might think her very industrious: but alas, alas! all this is to please herself. Her station in life does not indeed require that she should do such things exactly as Betsey Bond does: yet, there are many little services she might render to her father and mother, to her brothers, and friends, and neighbours, which would not only endear her to them, but would render her a person of consequence among them; for activity and good nature