tell here, and bring them into notice. They are introduced to a circle of respectable acquaintances; meet with a good deal of attention; are often invited to interesting meetings, &c. &c. Out of the school they might be nobodies: in it they become somebodies; are looked up to by the children, respected by the congregation, and perchance obtain the special patronage of the minister. Verily I say unto you they have their reward." Sift and analyse your motives, Sunday school teachers; disdain all that savour of selfishness, any that are not perfectly pure and transparent.

66

Deeply mistaken are they who seek only to serve or gratify themselves while professing to do the Master's work: blessed, thrice blessed are they who strive to serve Him with a perfect heart."-Christian World.

SPECIMEN OF A SUNDAY SCHOOL ADDRESS.
THE ARITHMETIC OF LIFE.

"So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto
wisdom."-Psalm xc., 12.

WHEN Moses wrote these words, perhaps he was thinking of the past. He remembered how few were living of those who had quitted Egypt with him many had died; many had been stricken down for murmuring against God; and he prays that those who are spared may improve the remainder of their time. This is a very proper prayer for us. We have just closed another year; we ought to be serious, and think of the days that are gone, and ask whether we have improved them. The youngest have seen some changes. Where is Spring, with its blossoms? Gone! Summer, with its bright skies and flowers? Gone! Autumn, with its waving corn and ripe fruit? Gone! And now we are in the midst of Winter! And like the seasons, people have been passing away! Some who began the year healthful and strong, have been cut down. In the morning they flourished like the rose, in the evening they were withered. In the spring-time some were rejoicing, like the girl who was to be "Queen of the May,"-all was bright! She said,

"If you're waking, call me early, call me early, Mother dear!

To-morrow is the happiest day of all the glad new year;

There will not be a drop of rain, the whole of the live-long day,

For I'm to be Queen of the May, Mother! I'm to be Queen of the May.

But when the winter came, the girl was on her death-bed, and sang a sadder song to her mother

"If you're waking, call me early, call me early, Mother dear!

For I would see the sun rise upon the glad new year:
The new year's coming up, Mother, but I may never see
The flower upon the blackthorn, the leaf upon the tree!

Many, who, in the spring, were as joyous as the season, have fallen like the leaves of autumn! Our days are soon told--" they are cut off, and we fly away." Let us, as we bid welcome to the new year, learn this prayer, "So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom." Here, then, is a lesson in arithmetic. This is a very important art. In these days, the child who cannot reckon is thought stupid, but the grown up person more so, It is important to know how to count money; but more

B

necessary to understand how to "number our days." These are our riches, and if rightly used, will make us wealthy indeed. Nearly all, however, who would learn arithmetic, desire to have a wise teacher-one who understands the rules himself. Who then can best teach us how to number our days? Why, He who gave them! God is the great arithmetician. "One day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day," Eternity is His! What a teacher! He who gave us time, can best teach us how to use it; and if we are diligent pupils, we must grow wise. Let us begin with the first rule.

I. Numeration. Without this, we could not understand the value of figures. When we are able to make figures, it is important to understand what they stand for. By this rule we know the difference between 1 and 0, and can distinguish hundreds from tens, thousands from millions. It would be rather a bad job for a boy to make out a bill for one of his master's customers and only charge 10 when he ought to charge 100! He would have to go back to school. In life we have only units and ten of years. But when we speak of days we have hundreds and thousands! Take the child of 10 years. How many days has he lived? 3,650! More valuable these than as many pounds. A man was once dying, and he said he would give all he had (and he was not poor) for one hour! Then what must a day be worth! Oh, let me learn this rule thoroughly that we may learn the value of "our days."

II. Notation. By this rule we learn to write figures correctly. A boy might understand the value of numbers, and yet put them down wrong. O stands for nothing, but when joined to other figures means a great deal. Put 0 between 11 and you make 101, a very serious alteration. It makes all the difference whether you put down 0 to the left or the right hand of a figure. There are some who do not appear to know this rule for their days. Some are proud and make a great show, and pretend they are very wise! But the real value of their days has perhaps been mistaken, they forget that a long line of noughts does not give real numbers, unless the O's stand to the right hand of the unit. Of what value is this? 0001! and the value is no more if you add a thousand 0's to the left hand of the unit! Do not let us cheat ourselves; let us take care that we do not have blank lives. Titus, a heathen emperor, if he had not performed some good action during the day, used to say at its close, "I have lost a day." Oh! that all Christian children knew "notation of days" as well as he.

III. Addition. It would not do to stop at the previous rule. We might be able to understand the real value of our days, but this would be of little use if they did not amount to any good. It looks foolish to put down lines of figures if we do not learn to add them up. He knows this rule who makes the best use of his days, and the total is very large indeed. A child's life may look well in addition; his days may have been so numbered that he has applied his "heart unto wisdom." Although Methuselah lived to be 969 years old, his life did not look so well in "addition" as that of his father Enoch, who only lived 365 years. For we only read of the son that he died, but of the father we read that "he walked with God." God was his teacher and thus he became wise and good.

IV.

Subtraction.

The use of this is, to take the less from the greater and see what remains. Some spend every minute of the time they do not give to sleep in work. If they are obliged to do this they are to be pitied, but many do it who need not. They have no time they say to read or think. Of course then we must expect them to be very ignorant people. It is certain they can know nothing of the subtraction of life. With all their thousands of days they have no remainder! Why they are worse off than a horse, for the poor brute does not work every hour. Let us take care while young to learn this rule of days. See what opportunities children may have by a right use of subtraction! Take a boy who goes to school! Leave out the winter, only consider the six months, when the evenings are long, from April to September. Say from the 24 hours of the day, with school and lessons, meals and play, with sleep, you use 22 hours, still you have two hours a day to spare, and these, leaving out Sundays, amount in all to 312 hours! What splendid use might you make of these! Remember the old true words "waste not, want not."

V. Multiplication. This rule is only a short way of addition. But how our days multiply! How can we turn them to good account-this is the question! Suppose you were intent upon learning something useful with the two hours a-day you have remaining, multiply 365 days by 2 and you get 730! all these extra hours in a year to turn to some good purpose. Cardinal Wolsey, the minister of State, at one time in the reign of Henry 8th, said in the hour of his distress, "If I had served God, as well as I have served my king and country, he would not have forsaken me in my old days!" He learnt the value of this rule too late in life. Learn it while you are young, and if you live to be aged you will be wiser than he!

VI. Division. By this we learn how many times one number is con tained in another. I take the child of 7, and place him beside the old man of 70. I find by this rule that he has lived as long as 10 children of seven years old. Learn division well. Do not use all your days to obtain things of no value, divide them between earth and heaven! Our lives are divided between time and eternity. Oh! that we remembered it; they will leave an eternity after having been divided by time, "So teach us to number our days," and do not forget the use of this arithmetic, "that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom."

Bermondsey.

WHAT IS TIME?

"I asked an aged man, a man of cares,

Wrinkled, and curved, and white with hoary hairs;

'Time is the warp of life,' he said, 'oh tell

The young, the gay, the fair, to weave it well.'

I asked the seasons in their annual round,

Which beautify or desolate the ground;

And they replied (no oracle more wise),

"Tis folly's blank, and wisdom's highest prize.'

I asked my Bible, and methinks it said,
Time is the present hour, the past is fled.
Live, live, to-day! to-morrow never yet,

On any human being rose or set.

I asked the mighty angel who shall stand,
One foot on sea, and one on solid land.

By heavens!' be cried, I swear the mystery's o'er,'
'Time was,' he cried but time shall be no more.'

J. E.

CHRIST'S FIFTY-TWO PARABLES.

BY NEHEMIAH ROGERS, A.D. 1640.

"God has furnished his Word with as many Parables as there are weeks in

the year."

1 The Adversary,

2 The Blind leading the Blind,

3 The Children in the Market-place,

4 The Children of the Bridegroom,

5 The two Debtors,

6 The Eye and the Body,

7 The Fig-Tree Fruitless,

8 The Fig-tree putting forth the Leaves,

9 The Friend and the Three Loaves,

Luke xi. 5-10, What importunate Prayer will gain.

10 The Good Man of the House and the Thief, Luke xii. 39-42. Watching for Christ's coming. 11 The Garment, new and old,

Matt. ix. 16., Luke v. 36.
things new.

12 The Houses on the Rock, and on the Sand, Matt. vii. 24-27. Luke vi. 47.

13 The Householder,

14 The Leaven,

15 Lazarus and the Rich Man,

16 Laborers in the Vineyard,

17 The Lord returning from the Wedding,

Christ, or not in Christ.

Christ makes all

The sinner in

Matt. xiii. 52. Disciples get access to Christ's

stores.

Matt. xiii. 33. The penetrating spread of His kingdom in the end.

Luke xvi. 19-31. The believer in God's testi

mony, and the unbeliever.

Matt. xx. 1-16. Grace gives to the sinner as seems good.

Luke xii. 35-38. Ready watching for Christ's coming.

18 The Master of the House shutting the Door, Luke xiii. 25-28. 19 The Marriage Feast of the King's Son,

33 The Seed that grew silently,

result.

34 The Sower and Seed,

35 The Strong One Armed,

36 The Steward and his Lord,

37 The Unjust Steward and the Debtor, 38 The Strait Gate and Narrow Way, 39 The Stone rejected by the Builders,

40 The Great Supper,

41 The Tares and Wheat, 42 The Ten Talents,

43 The Two Sons and the Vineyard,

44 The Tree, good and bad,

45 The Treasure hid in the Field,

46 The Vineyard and its Husbandmen,

47 The Vine and is Branches, 48 The Ten Virgins,

49 The Widow and the Judge, 50 The Wheat-corn that died, 51 The Wedding Garment,

52 The Wine, new and old bottles,

Mark iv. 26-29. Silent progress towards the final

Matt. xiii. 1-23. The word scattered on the hearts of men.

Luke xi. 21-26. The devil secking to rule over

the soul.

Luke xii. 42-48. Christ and His professed fol. lowers.

Luke xvi. 1-8. The wisdom of providing for the future.

Matt. vii. 13, 14. The way of life, and the way of death.

Matt. xxi. 42-44. Compare Acts iv. 11. Christ
rejected.

Luke xiv. 15-24. Jew and Gentile, invited to
God's great feast.

Matt. xxii. 24. The false among the true.
Luke xix. 24-30. and 36-43. Service expected

of all disciples.

Matt. xxi. 28-32. Open sinners and false professors.

Matt. vii. 16-20. The fruitful and fruitless professor.

Matt. xiii. 44. The joy of the man who finds salvation.

Matt. xxi. 33-41. The treatment given to Christ
by the Jews.

John xv. 1-8. Christ and His people.
Matt. xxv. 1-13. Readiness for the bridegroom,
Christ.

Luke xviii. 1-8. The Church's prayer of faith.
John xii. 24. Christ's death procuring blessings.
Matt. xxii. 11-14. The preparation for the feast
must be received.

Luke v. 37-39. New worship accompanying the
new things that Christ taught.

THE INTELLIGENCE OF A PEOPLE.

EVERY one has a desire for the various means of happiness spread around him, if he knows what they are, and how he shall obtain them. Newspapers, travelling, and all the ordinary means by which information is circulated, have a great effect in increasing the desire of men to improve their condition by means of exchange; and they are thus induced to labour more industriously, in order to procure something to offer in exchange for what they want.

THE SPIRITUAL PRECEPTOR.

He who is to teach his neighbours how to love each other and to serve God with their hearts, should know something of both their inner and outer life, and we would have the spiritual preceptor accquainted with the domestic habits of the people he has in his charge; and seeing the fever and excitement of trade, the weariness and fret of money-getting, he may know best how to call back the mind and heart to things that are "not seen," and stimulate them to lay up treasure in heaven. That man will preach the truth more forcibly and practically who knows best what is the bent and habits of the people who assemble to hear his instructions.-City Press.