"And the Lord said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him seven fold-And the Lord set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him."

What this mark was, the Bible does not tell us. It was something about Cain, which made every body fear to take his life, lest they should suffer a much more dreadful punishment than he did. It was a striking warning to every one, to let him alone, that he might wander forsaken and friendless, a fugitive and a vagabond, throughout the earth.

In this punishment of Cain, you see God's awful displeasure against sin. It is a fearful displeasure indeed. The sinner cannot hide himself from the eye of God, nor escape from his hand. The justice of God will surely overtake him, as it did the murderer Cain. If it does not always do so in this world, it will in the next. He must suffer it, unless he truly repents of his sins, and trusts in the Lord Jesus Christ, that he may be pardoned; and prays for the Holy Spirit, that he may be enabled to overcome his sins, and to love and obey God.

You have not committed murder, as Cain did. But have you not, sometimes, been like him, in having envious, angry, hateful, and malicious feelings? Such feelings were very sinful. God saw them, and was greatly displeased with them.

How will you avoid the punishment which such sins deserve? For remember that sin is in the heart. It is the having wicked and wrong feelings, desires, and purposes. If Cain had killed his brother by accident, without being negligent and careless without any thought, or wish, or intention to do it, there would have been no sin in doing it. His sin was not in the outward action. It was in having his wicked feelings, and the de sire and purpose to kill his brother, that he might indulge and gratify such feelings in doing the deed.

If he had not succeeded in killing Abel; if he had only wounded him badly, or even not at all, and Abel had escaped out of his hands, still he would have been a murderer.

And the simple reason is, that he had the murderous feelings and intentions. is by our thoughts, feelings, and intention

that God judges us; it is for them that we must give him an account.

Think of the many sinful thoughts, feelings, and intentions which you have had, even if they have not shown themselves outwardly, in sinful conduct. In view of them, do you not fear a just and holy God? How will you escape his terrible displeasure? Cain could not. You cannot, if, like Cain, you continue impenitent.

There is one way of escape. Christ suffered and died to save you. On account of

this, God can forgive all your sins. He will do it, if you are truly sorry for them, and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for pardon and safety.

Go to this Saviour. For his sake beseech God to give you the Holy Spirit, that you may be led to repentance for sin, and to faith in Christ;-that you may be strengthened to overcome all that is wrong within you, to love and obey God,-to love and do good to your fellow-men.

Take care that you never feel unhappy at seeing another person have things which you have not, or loved and rewarded for good conduct, when you are not noticed;-lest you be envious like Cain.

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Take care that you never feel so provoked that you wish to do other persons some injury, something that will hurt them, and give them pain or trouble;-lest you be angry like Cain.

Take care that you never hate others, and think in what way you can do them a great injury,—and plan it all out in your mind,— and wish and seek for an opportunity of doing it ;-lest you be malicious like Cain, and like him, do some very wicked deed.

Be glad when you see others good and happy. If they are better than you, try to imitate their good example. If they are praised or rewarded for good conduct, rejoice that they get what they deserve. You know you should feel so. It is right, God requires us to feel so. You will be more happy yourself in feeling so. Envy is one of the worst of all the wicked feelings. It leads to anger, hatred, and malice; and these will lead, as they did Cain, to dreadful deeds of wickedness. Dread it. Pray to be

Avoid the beginnings of envy. Abhor it. Strive against it. delivered from it.

STORY VIII.

THE DELUGE.

WHEN Adam died, he was nine hundred and thirty years old. People in those days lived to a very great age. Seth one of Adam's sons, lived to be nine hundred and twelve years old. And there was one very old man, the oldest that ever lived, who was nine hundred and sixty nine years of age when he died. His name was Methuselah.

Methuselah had a son, called Lamech, and Lamech a son, called Noah, who was a good man, and God loved him, and took care of him and his family in a very remarkable way. I am going to tell you about it in this story.

There were a great many people in the world, at the time when Noah lived. And they were very wicked people. They did not fear God. They did what they knew was sinful, and God became greatly displeased with them. He thought that he must punish them severely for their wicked