And yet rejoice that now for thee the clouds of Faith

are flown,

And Israel's God is known to thee, as ONE and ONE

ALONE!

That all of darkness, all of doubt, no more thy soul may claim,

For ev'ry varied Faith on earth in Heav'n is the same!

Then rest thee, Brother, and rejoice, thy glorious task

is o'er,

We'll think of thee, and follow thee, and love thee more and more ;

Thou art not lost to those on earth, thou art but

pass'd on high,

And ling❜rest there a radiant star, whose light will never die!

GRACE.

THOUGHTS

FOR PARENTS AND INSTRUCTORS.

ON EMULATION.

"Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others."--PHIL. II. 4.

We hear of competition for prizes, and contention for the uppermost places in their class, among the children of some schools and families. It is said that the stimulant of emulation, objectionable as it is in many respects allowed to be, is nevertheless necessary to the successful education of children. I confess it is an assertion to which I am by no means inclined to subscribe, and I feel persuaded that very great caution is requisite in such matters; lest in our anxiety for improvement in learning we should be tempted to overlook that which is of infinitely greater importance the improvement of the heart and disposition. Many fine things are said about generous rivalry, and we are told how possible it is for the vanquished competitor to cast away far from him every feeling of jealousy, envy, and ill will. Yes, we allow this to be possible; for the weakest and the feeblest may take up the words of the mightiest and the strongest, and say, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me," but surely it is no easy thing to resist the corrupt and selfish inclina

tions of our evil hearts. The work is a difficult-a laborious work; and surely we do not well, to force the youthful soldier into the danger and din of the battle, when we might place him in a position of comparative security, and ward off many an enemy, and shield him from many a foe. The spirit of competition is, I do believe, a most dangerous weapon to place in the feeble grasp of a youthful Christian, how safe soever it may be in the more powerful hands of those who have spent years in their great Captain's service. The advanced Christian has passed through many a struggle-he has fought many a battle, and now the conquest is well nigh gained. He has kept so near to his Master's side-he has followed so closely in his Master's steps-he has drunk so largely of his Master's spirit, that self is in a manner annihilated. He can stand the test of human applause without experiencing any secret pulsation-without any feeling of complacency separate from the glory of God, He can do more than this-he can calmly resign the praise of man-he can take the lowest place without being envious of the honour done to others he can desire their reputation and interest to be advanced, though his own be diminished-he is willing, cheerfully willing, to be nothing in the sight of men. He knows enough of his own heart to think humbly of himself, and he is neither surprised nor offended when he perceives that others think humbly of him. He is not of those who confess to God that they sin hourly, and yet when told by a fellow-creature-told in the gentlest and kindest manner of even one distinct fault, with strange inconsistency swell with anger, and justify or deny it. The advanced scholar in the school of Christ can delight in the

labours and success of others, though he sees himself darkened and eclipsed by them-himself passed by and forgotten. He keeps the high standard of acting simply and solely for the divine glory constantly before him-the love of God overcomes the love of self -his heart is freed from the disquieting passions of malice and envy, and he is content to see others preferred before him. This lowliness of spirit, however, this meekness of demeanour, and this freedom from selfishness, are not the natural products of the soil. They are contrary to the proud nature and selfish interests of men ; humility—the silent but lovely grace of real bumility, is not a plant of spontaneous growth. When He who knew what was in man said: "Learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart," He was not ignorant that the lesson He was giving was too difficult for his proud and rebellious creatures to learn from any other Teacher than Himself. And again we must repeat that we do not well when we seek to stir up, instead of, with God's help, to cast out that secret spirit of pride which, amidst all the loveliness and ingenuousness of youth, still lurks in the heart of every young soldier in the spiritual warfare. Surely we can scarcely flatter ourselves that we are bringing up our children "in the nurture and admonition of the Lord," while we are by deeds, if not by words, fostering and encouraging those very feelings of envy, ambition, and selfishness which it ought to be our great aim to restrain and subdue. I must say I experience a feeling of surprise as well as of sorrow and regret whenever I hear, as I frequently do hear, of the young being excited to exertion by means of a principle which certainly has in it nothing of the loving, humble, self-denying spirit which the Gospel

requires a principle destructive of that Christian love which is the badge of Christ's disciples now, as it was the badge and the glory of the primitive Church when their adversaries remarked it and said, "See how these Christians love one another."

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I much doubt whether we could long remain spectators in a schoolroom where the young occupants were to be rewarded-not according to their abstract, but according to their comparative success, without being almost compelled to exclaim "see how these children hate one another,"-urged forward and encouraged, if we must speak the plain unvarnished truth, by those whose bounden duty it is to shew them a far different and more excellent way. "Here are my prizes, mamma," said a young lady to her mother, on her return from a fashionable boarding-school-the flush of exultation overspreading her countenance, as she exhibited three handsomely bound volumes before the eyes of her gratified parent; they are all first prizes, and there are only two prizes in each class. Fanny Mordaunt expected the first prize for Geography, but I knew better all the while, though I did not say a word about it, I knew she had miscounted, and that I had one ticket more than she had-how disappointed she looked, when the prize was declared to be mine," continued the young lady, laughing very heartily. "Miss Mordaunt cannot be very far behind you,” remarked the father, “as you gained the prize only by one ticket." Oh, I don't mind whether it is by one or more, so that I win the prize," said the daughter, a shade of mortified pride passing over her features, on hearing the abilities of her rival placed on a level with her own.

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