Within a spacious cave which stood
Close to my cottage home,
Wherein it was my fond delight

In childhood's hours to roam,—

Or pluck the roses wild-to rob
Their stems of ev'ry thorn,
A garland graceful then to weave
My temples to adorn ;
As gaily by her side I sate,

Rejoicing in their bloom,

Ne'er dreaming that for aught so fair

There was an open tomb,

Till one by one I saw them fade,

And wept because decay

The fairest of earth's flowerets

Thus rudely swept away :
Then would my sister sweetly say
Child, dry those bitter tears,
And look ye to that land on high
Where sorrow ne'er appears,

But flowers ye value so below
Flourish, yet never fade,

Nor like all that we love on earth

Are lost awhile in shade.'

And, thus from nature's simplest works, My sister would derive

Instruction, wherewithal to keep
Religion's flame alive.

Within my youthful heart she tried,

Early to win for God,

And lead me in that narrow path

So carefully she trod;

Whose precepts holy, though the lips
That breathed them, now are still
And may no more, at least on earth,
Declare their Maker's will,-

Like fruitful seeds within my breast,

I trust will e'er remain,

Until the mighty hand of God

Has quenched ev'ry grain;

Then may I hope, through him who pour'd

His life-blood as a tide,

To cancel all the sins of men,

For which he meekly died,

My sister fair again to meet,

In blissful realms afar,

From whence I often love to think

Her spirit like a star

Is beaming on me, and will touch

My soul with living fire,

And light it to that heav'nly home

To which I e'er aspire.

M. A. H.

Simple Lectures on Theology.

THE EXISTENCE OF GOD.-PART I.

DEAR YOUNG FRIENDS,

Without Religion, we can never be truly happy, either in this world, or the next. There are, it is true, some who pretend that it is quite foolish to bind ourselves down to all the hard restraints of religion, and the bible, and say that it is much happier and better to do just as our hearts prompt us. We hope, however, that none of our young readers think so. We intend to show you that religion is the most delightful thing upon earth; and, that none are so happy as those who follow and perform all that it requires. We will now proceed to tell you as plainly as we can, FIRST, what religion is; SECONDLY, WHO it is that religious people love, worship, and obey.

FIRST, we will tell you what true religion is. It is a belief in a great, and wise, and holy GoD: this God is so great in his power, that he can do all things; so wise, that he knows all things; and, so holy, that he can do nothing which is wrong, or sinful. Religion is a sur

render, or giving up of all our thoughts and wishes, and affections, to the service of this great, and wise, and holy God. IT IS A GIVING UP OF OUR THOUGHTS: we must not allow them to wander about, and fix themselves on anything sinful. When we feel wicked thoughts rising in our minds, we must try to get rid of them, and think of God, and all his goodness to us,-and of our parents, who love us,-and of all our friends, who are dear to us, and this will tend to drive all wicked thoughts away from us. But, we must be most particular about our thoughts, when we kneel down to pray to the great God, and to thank Him for all his benefits to us. We must then only think of what we are saying, and of the God we are praying to: it would be wrong then to think even of our dearest friends-except to ask God's blessing upon them.

RELIGION IS ALSO THE GIVING UP OF OUR WISHES TO GOD. We must not desire anything which God is not willing to give us, nor anything which he has forbidden. God is so good that he will not withold anything from us that is good; and, therefore, we ought always to be thankful for what we have, instead of seeking what we have not.

RELIGION IS THE GIVING UP OF OUR AFFECTIONS TO GOD. We must LOVE him-with all our soul-and with all our heart-and with all our mind-and with all our strength. We must love God better-far better-than we do our parents or friends. We wish you to love every body, even your enemies. Yet we must not wish

you to love any so well as the great God himself. Having now shewn you what religion is, and what it is to be religious, we will now try to explain to you WHO THAT GREAT GOD IS, WHOM YOU ARE TO love and worSHIP, AND OBEY.

FIRST-He is the Creator of the World! Look around, my dear children, upon the green fields, on a fine summer's day. See how beautiful all the trees look! How tall and stately they are! Look at their strong stems, and large branches, and beautiful green leaves! Who do you think made them? Look at the grass, beneath

It is pleasant to walk upon

your feet,-how soft it is! it; and then it is such a bright colour, and is so delightful to the eye! It also serves for food-the young lambs eat it; and when they have done frolicking about the fields, they lie down upon it. The sheep also eat it; and so do cows, and horses. Who made this grass-so soft for us to walk upon-so pleasant to our eyes-and so good for food, to the sheep and cattle? Look, again, upon the corn-fields! See the corn, all yellow, and bending in the breeze, with its own weight. Soon, it will all be cut down, taken to the mill, and ground into flour, and then made ready for us to eat. Who made the corn? Listen to the birds-how sweetly they sing in the bushes! They seem so full of joy, that it makes us all joyful to hear them. Who taught them to sing? To whom do they raise their sweet songs? Look at the sun! See how he supplies us with light, and heat. Without his light, we could not see; and, without his