XXXVI. EARLY PIETY.

THOSE that seek me early shall find me.-PROV. viii. 17.

Wilt thou not from this time cry unto me, My Father, Thou art the guide of my youth? JER. iii. 4.

Deut. vi. 6, 7-xi. 19-xxxi. 12-xxxii. 46, 47-1 Sam. i. 2228-ii. 18, 26-iii. 19—1 Kings xviii. 12-2 Kings xxii. 1, 2, 19, 20-2 Chron. xxiv. 1, 2—xxxiv. 1-3-Job viii. 5, 7-Psalm viii. 2-xxii. 9-xxxiv. 11-lii. 8—lxiii. 1—lxxi. 5, 17—lxxviii. 6-8, 70, 71-cxix. 9, 10-cxlviii. 12, 13-Prov. i. 4-iv. 1-6—v. 7, 1113-viii. 17, 32, 33-xix. 20-xx. 11–xxii. 6-xxiii. 26-Eccles. xii. 1-Isaiah xl. 11-xliv. 3, 4-liv. 13-lv. 6—lx. 4—Jer. iii. 4-Dan. i. 3-21-x. 11, 12.

Matt. vii. 13, 14-xi. 25, 26-xviii. 1-5, 10, 14-xix. 13-15— xxi. 15, 16-Mark x. 13-16-Luke i. 76, 80-ii. 40-52—xviii. 1517-Acts xvi. 1-3-1 Cor. xvi. 10, 11-Eph. vi. 1, 4—2 Tim. i. 5-ii. 22-iii. 14, 15-Heb. xiii. 17-1 John ii. 1-3, 12, 13— 2 John i. 4.

CHRIST IN THE TEMPLE.

Abash'd be all the boast of age!
Be hoary Learning dumb!
Expounder of the mystic page,
Behold an Infant come!

Oh Wisdom, whose unfading power
Beside th' Eternal stood,

To frame, in nature's earliest hour,
The land, the sky, the flood ;—

Yet didst not Thou disdain awhile
An infant form to wear;
To bless Thy mother with a smile,
And lisp Thy falter'd prayer.

But in Thy Father's own abode,
With Israel's elders round,
Conversing high with Israel's God,
Thy chiefest joy was found.

So may our youth adorn Thy name!
And, Saviour, deign to bless
With fostering grace the timid flame
Of early holiness!

HEBER.

THE PROPHET-CHILD.

Within the temple slept the child,
The after-prop of Israel's fame,
When o'er his slumbers calm and mild,
The summons of Jehovah came.

The call was heard, the child awoke ;
With beating heart and bending knee

The future judge and prophet spoke,

Speak, Lord, Thy servant heareth Thee."

U

Oh, when we hear Jehovah's voice
Breaking the slumber of the soul,
So may we rise, and so rejoice,

So bend our will to his control!

Oh

His summons calls us even now:
may each instant answer be,
Father, to Thy commands I bow-

Speak, for Thy servant heareth Thee !"

MRS. HALL.

By cool Siloam's shady rill

How sweet the lily grows!

How sweet the breath beneath the hill
Of Sharon's dewy rose !

Lo such the child whose early feet
The paths of peace have trod;
Whose secret heart, with influence sweet,
Is upward drawn to God!

By cool Siloam's shady rill

The lily must decay ;

The rose that blooms beneath the hill

Must shortly fade away.

And soon, too soon, the wintry hour

Of man's maturer age

Will shake the soul with sorrow's power,

And stormy passion's rage!

O Thou, whose infant feet were found
Within Thy Father's shrine!

Whose years, with changeless virtue crown'd,
Were all alike divine:

Dependant on Thy bounteous breath,
We seek Thy grace alone,

In childhood, manhood, age, and death,
To keep us still Thine own!

НЕВЕВ.

Since from His high exalted seat
He welcomes sinners to His feet,
Invites the weary to His breast,
And promises to give them rest;
Come listen to His voice to-day,
Nor for another hour delay.

If

you believe the boundless love,

That brought Him from His throne above,

And long to walk from day to day,
Like Him, in wisdom's pleasant way;
Like Him, to love the Father's will,
And your appointed work fulfil;
Like Him, on heav'n to fix your mind,
And cast this fading world behind;
Like Him, to spend your earthly days.
In shewing the Creator's praise;
To mark each step the Saviour trod,
And walk, like Enoch,

with your God;

Until in heaven's eternal bliss

Your eyes shall see Him as He is :

Behold! He ready stands to bless
Your soul with peace and holiness,
To bid the love of sin depart,

And write His word upon your heart.
Then shall that word, like steady light,
Direct your youthful footsteps right;
"Twill be as honey to your taste,
And cheering like a plenteous feast,
More precious than the golden ore,
Or rubies from the merchant's store.
Oh! seek Him now with all your mind,
For those who early seek shall find ;
He watches o'er His flock for good,
And feeds His lambs with heav'nly food;
Within His arms He gently bears,
And soothes their sorrows and their cares:
He will not turn from you His ear,
For children's prayers to Him are dear,
But look with love and kindness down,
And cleanse your spirit with His own.

M. B. TUCKEY.

The pure and peaceful mind,
The meek and lowly heart,
The patient will, to Thine resign'd,
God of all power impart.

Young though in years we be, In health and spirits strong, What is the life of man to Thee?

The longest is not long.