The capital.

And what was Jerusalem?

The capital of Judea.

Now read the next verse.

"When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him."

Now what troubled Herod?

He thought he should be turned out.

Yes, he was afraid he should lose his crown and throne.

Read on.

"And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born."

How came they to know?

Because the prophet had foretold it.

It says in the next verse-" And they said unto him, in Bethlehem of Judea for thus it is written by the prophet."

Can any boy tell me what prophet that was?

Isaiah.

No.

(Boys can't tell.)

Now turn then to the 5th chapter of Micah, and the 2nd verse, and read it.

"But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting."

You see that is the same in sense as the 6th verse of the chapter we were reading: "And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a governor, that shall rule my people Israel." Read the next verse. "Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently, what time the star appeared?"

What made Herod so anxious to know the exact time when the star appeared?

That he might go and worship him also.

Aye, so it may seem to you: we shall see by and bye what was his real reason. You know it is very easy to have a kind and a smoothlooking countenance, and at the same time a cruel and deceitful heart. We all know that. Well this was the case with Herod. He seemed to mean all right, but murder lurked within. Now read the following two verses.

"And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, go and search diligently

or the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word gain, that I may come and worship him also. When they had eard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in he east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the oung child was."

Yes, they were seeking Jesus. No wonder that they were led right: no wonder that a bright star silently wound its way through e deep blue sky. My boys, they were seeking Jesus! Seek and e shall find. I pray that He may make us earnest seekers, and we ust then be happy finders. And now we are coming to a wonderil sight. Let us go along with them to Bethlehem. Oh, how glad eir hearts are as they watch the steady light that guides them. And now the star settles over the stable where the baby lies. They re entering. Look at them-old men, with white beards, and grave puntenances, and wrinkled foreheads-and what are they doing? Worshipping him.

Presenting him gifts.

Yes; mark how they bend in reverence before that baby wrapped 1 swaddling clothes. Is it not wonderful to see old grave men oing this to a little child? How is it? What do they see in him? The King of the Jews.

Does he look like a king?

No.

No! He's a king, but a king in disguise: and these wise men as hey spread their treasures at his feet, and bend in reverence before im, feel that it is none other than He who is the mighty God; whose goings forth, as Micah tells us, had been from everlasting. Now is there anything that we can take and offer to this Jesus, as hese wise men did?

Yes; our souls.

Yes; our hearts.

And what sort of an offering is the heart to give him?

A good offering.

No, no; it's a very bad offering. It is all we can offer; but if God shews us the deep, deep depravity of our nature, we shall then De fit to wonder that He will accept of such an offering. Our hearts are like a sheet of paper, all blotted and fouled; full of evil, desperately wicked. Yes, the wonder is that we may offer such a heart. And oh! if he is willing to accept such hearts, and we withhold them, our guilt will be fearful indeed.

(Boy reads on, at the 12th verse:) “And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way. And when they were departed,

behold the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, arise and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him."

Yes; mark how easily God baffles Herod. Safely and quietly they go down to another country; and thus God proves to them “a very present help in time of trouble." But Herod would have slain the infant. He trembled for his crown, and to save that, would commit murder. I remember, that in English history, we are told that there was once a very young king in possession of the crown of England, and his uncle, who longed to be king himself, wrested the crown into his own hands, and sent the innocent nephew and his brother to the tower of London. But he was not happy yet. As long as his nephews lived, he did not feel safe, so he tried to persuade the keeper of the tower to assassinate the two young princes. The keeper was a kind hearted man, and refused to stain his hands with blood; but the king found two fierce ruffians who were willing to do his cruel work; and they wound their way into the cell, where they were confined, and smothered them with the bolster and pillows of the bed! This king was Richard the 3rd, and he had his reward: he was soon after slain in battle; and thenoh! it may be that at this moment, Richard and Herod are reaping the wages of sin, even "the worm that dieth not, and the fire that is not quenched."

The Boys read the 14th and 15th verses, then come to the 16th. "Then Herod when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men."

Now do you see what made Herod so anxious about the star? Yes, to know how old the young child was.

Do you think that this slaughter of these children made Herod's heart the happier?

No.

No, indeed: sin and sorrow go hand in hand; and though we may follow our own heart's wickedness to its full extent, and seem to thrive in doing evil, there is no truer passage in the Bible than this, "There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked." May God save us from treading in these evil paths, and wash us from all our transgressions in the blood of that Jesus, about whom we have read, who afterwards was acquainted with grief, that those who seek him might become acquainted with glory.

J. F. S.

SUNDAY-SCHOOLS IN IRELAND.

(From the Annual Report.)

DURING the past year there has been an increase of two Schools, 5,564 Scholars, and 343 Teachers. In reporting this considerable addition to the number of the Scholars, it is almost unnecessary to observe, that this gratifying result has, under the Divine blessing, been produced by the disinterested and self-denying exertions of the Conductors and Teachers of the Schools. And it is with much thankfulness to the Almighty, that your Committee would draw the attention of your Society to the increase which has taken place also in the number of the gratuitous Teachers throughout the country. The following table shews the state of Sunday School instruction at the formation of the Society, and its progress since that period:

Schools. Scholars.

This Society was formed in 1809, when, as far as can be ascertained, there were only throughout Ireland about

80

There were connected with it in 1816

One of their Correspondents, who has laboured zealously for many years in your cause, writes thus in reference to the Sundayschool with which he is connected: "The best Teachers in the School were once Scholars in it; and these, as well as others, removed to other neighbourhoods, are now showing forth in their lives the principles there learned. The Teachers' weekly meeting is found to be one of the most effective measures for maintaining efficiency, in carrying out the objects of the School." Your Committee, deeply impressed with the importance of this subject, would further draw the attention of the Conductors of Schools to the following communication, from an esteemed Clergyman in a remote country parish: "I found great difficulty, for many years, in getting sufficiently qualified Teachers for this School; but I have been enabled, thank God, to surmount the difficulty, by paying more than ordinary attention to my own, (the head class); and always keeping up my number as I part with one for a Teacher, I have been able to supply the School well, and still keep up a little nursery of Teachers. I do not mention this in any boasting way, but with the

hope that my experience may keep some brother Clergyman from desponding, when he finds himself placed in a remote country parish, with no ladies or gentlemen to assist as Teachers, which was my case some years back-though, thank God, I have one or two exceptions now, who assist me greatly; but, after all, the homemade Teachers are among my best."

Your Committee insert the following communication received from an esteemed Clerical Correspondent, who has laboured in your cause for the period of upwards of thirty years, and they would earnestly invite the attention of your friends to the result of his experience on this interesting subject: "It is now more than thirty years since I have been the personal Superintendent of Sundayschools in the parishes of and -; and during that period, I have seen two generations growing up under the teaching of God's word, and now a third-the children, in many instances, of those previously so trained, placed under the same blessed system of spiritual nurture and admonition. I can truly testify, as I have often done before, that the happy and hopeful effects, both intellectual and spiritual, on the population around, are more manifest and palpable to my mind, from this, than from any other means of grace, which may have been bestowed on a people formerly most dark and ignorant respecting all it concerned them most to know. The change indeed produced upon this neighbourhood, by this simple teaching apparatus, during the period above referred to, may be called in the strictest sense a mental revolution. The children have not only had God's word brought home in evidence, and often in power to their own minds, but they have, to an incalculable extent carried the light and influence of it into their families also. Many of the most hopeful, interesting, happy, and I might say triumphant deaths, which I have ever witnessed, have been exhibited in young persons either trained or training in the Sunday-schools. The faith and patience of some, who within the last two years have passed away under lingering consumption, in the clear vision of the spiritual and the unseen, are full of most sweet, pleasant, and unspeakable comfort to look back upon. One at this moment is sinking under that most trying disease in its most painful form; yet, in the midst of agony, enabled to rejoice in hope, patient through looking to Him who for the joy set before Him endured the cross.'"'