you like; and even to your own door, if I am not forced to attend the prince, and the hunting party now staying with him."

Fred's wife was as happy as himself, and prepared a dinner in her best style, and made for her dessert a large cake, of the same kind as Rosalie had given Fred, which was wreathed with beautiful flowers, and the words "To Gratitude," made of white sugar, were placed upon it.

"Oh!" cried Rosalie, "do not cut that nice cake; for I have dined so well, that I will not touch it."

"Very well," rejoined the hostess, "then you must put it in your basket, and take it home for your children."

Next morning, at day-break, Fred was busily preparing to conduct his old friend to her family. He went with her half the journey, and when he left her, he promised to visit her and her family soon, and to have his fire-arms repaired by her husband.

Rosalie continued her journey in good spirits, and when she approached her home, she was met by her children, who were very eager to see the contents of her basket. Her husband also met her at the door, and they all entered the house together. Rosalie told him the cruel reception she had met with, and that she had brought no money home. He was sadly disappointed, and not all she could say about the forester could drive away his grief. She opened the basket, and brought out the cake; at the sight of which the little ones forgot all their sorrows. But when the father marked their joy, he could scarcely repress his tears, and said peevishly,

"What good is your cake? Where are we to get twenty or thirty gilders to buy a cow?"

But, lo! when the mother tried to cut the cake, the knife stuck so fast in it that all her strength could not divide it.

"This is a queer cake," said she. "It must have been baked too much." So she broke the crust, and the first thing that met her eye was two thalers of gold, and below them, in order, a dozen others of the same value.

Fred's joy on finding the cakes in his pouch was not greater than hers, when she saw the shining coin. "Thank GOD!" exclaimed she; "Frederick told his wife to put them in the cake, that we might buy a cow."

"The gold is worth thirty-two gilders, and some crowns," said little William, who was learning his coin-table at school; "it will buy us a fine cow."

"And then we can have milk and butter," said Theresa, jumping about and clapping her hands.

And the father's heart brightened, and he fervently thanked

Gon for His mercies. "That cake which you gave many years ago," said he, "to the little boy was well laid out: it has been paid back a hundred thousand fold."

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"Yes," said the mother; "the smallest act of kindness done to one of our brethren will receive a much greater reward in heaven."

"Oh, my children," added the father, "let us always be merciful, that we may obtain mercy."

SHORT ESSAYS ON CHRISTIAN DUTY. No. V. "Show my people their transgressions, and the house of Israel their sin."

WE are accustomed to hear the iniquities of the wicked exposed and reproved; but to find the Church of GOD arraigned as sinners before Him, and addressed in the language of rebuke, fills us with surprise, and well deserves our most serious attention. Nor should we turn away without examining ourselves, to ascertain whether we may be concerned, or not, in this most solemn message; which, delivered to the prophet of old and in the first instance relating to GOD's ancient people, has yet an undoubted bearing on our own times, and on this, the last and Christian dispensation, seeing that "all Scripture is written for our learning" and we are infallibly assured that it is profitable for all the varied requirements of the Church. While, for our encouragement in so painful a duty as that of selfexamination, which may result in self-conviction, let us remember that the exhortation to "judge ourselves," is given us explicitly, to the end that "we may not be judged of God."

In order the more readily to bring this matter home to our consciences, it may be well to go a little into detail; and mention some of the particular instances in which the law of GOD is most frequently and most thoughtlessly broken by those who are strangers to flagrant, and notorious sins.

And firstly, as regards truth; are not many of us "weighed in the balances, and found wanting?" Not that we indulge in the odious vice of actual lying-any one would be ashamed of that-but do we not, at times, practise a degree of deceit incompatible with purity of conscience; concealing the truth unlawfully; telling but half of it, with the knowledge that in so doing we shall deceive; not speaking it in sincerity, and otherwise disguising it, in ways that will readily suggest themselves to the minds of those who have suffered themselves to be drawn into this departure from uprightness?

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Then as regards justice. If we turn to the commercial transactions of this country, it will be impossible to close our eyes to the lamentable fact that multitudes of those called Christians have acted in a way that would have been scorned by an honest heathen, and that has brought most unjust reproaches upon our most holy faith. The poor have been oppressed: not only the poor labourer and artisan, by being deprived of their lawful hire, or by being ground down to the veriest pittance that can by possibility support a miserable life; but the poor merchant, by his more fortunate brother, who has unscrupulously taken advantage of the necessities of him who has been struggling in the grasp of adversity; by depreciating his goods, unjustly delaying the payment due to him, making unwarrantable deductions from them, or by proving himself a merciless creditor; thus heedlessly, or recklessly, disqualifying himself to receive that mercy which he daily asks, and daily needs from a Higher Power. While common honesty has been thrown to the winds in the mad pursuit of visionary wealth; rich and poor alike sharing, as the chase slackens, and men begin to grow rational, in the many and sore calamities which, widely diversified in their effect, spring from one common source, the making haste to be rich.

Temper is a thing counted of too slight importance by Christian people. They may not indulge in violent and vehement gusts of passion; and yet not a few make their homes miserable by their ill tempers. Apparently they think this sin exempt from the control of religion; or rather, they do not think it a sin; a strange infatuation! for with very many, the regulation of the temper is one of the chief things in which they can manifest the grace of GoD, which is in them. There is in some a continual bitterness, a perpetual fault-finding, which is as contrary to the spirit of the Gospel as it is utterly subversive of domestic peace and comfort; for it "eateth as doth a canker," in all within its evil influence, yet much more in the soul of him who permits himself to practise this,- -we must say, unrefined vice: it renders them unhappy, but it grieves, and expels from his heart the Holy Spirit of GOD; and will, if persisted in, at last close against him the door of that holy and happy place which is the inheritance of the meek and merciful. Let none excuse this as a little sin. "He that despiseth small things shall fall by little and little."

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Pride, also, in Scripture emphatically spoken of as the " demnation of the devil," is a snare into which too many of us fall. Who, in this day, humbleth himself that he may be exalted? Who follows CHRIST's rule for obtaining preeminence, "He that will be chief among you, let him be your

minister?" It is to be feared that we are to the full as fond of gratifying all the desires of this life, almost as deeply immersed in the pomps and vanities of a wicked world, as those who make no pretensions to stricter piety than their neighbours. This sin also frequently manifests itself in our impatience of contradiction and reproof; or, if we suffer it without resentment, in our thereupon taking merit to ourselves; whereas S. Peter teaches that it is no glory to take patiently the rebuking of our faults. While it is eminently the leading principle in those dissensions and divisions that vex the Christian world, (to touch but slightly upon this point,) we may express a fear that the number of those who to the utmost of their power promote peace in the Church, is comparatively small; we fear that those are not few who remain peaceable and obedient members of it, so long only as their wills and ways are unthwarted, but who as soon as they are touched by discipline, start up in rebellion, and make themselves heads of new divisions, despite the blessed Apostle's injunction, My brethren, be not many masters." Where is the humility of those who will not only not "suffer wrong," but not even right, if it chances to offend them.

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Nor do we confine our disobedience to our spiritual rulers. Our temporal ones receive no better treatment at our hands. We who are bound to honour all men, are not afraid to speak evil of dignities, to bring railing accusations against them, and after having, by a light disrespectful way of speaking of their authority, done all that we can to bring that authority into contempt; perchance express astonishment when we see the multitude, with uncontrolled passions, trampling it under foot. Christian men, upon whom due submission to lawful authorities rests with the weight of a Divine command, are bound to render a conscientious obedience to all the laws of their country; or, if that should be inconsistent with Christian duty, (that is, in direct opposition to the plainly revealed will of GOD) patiently to submit to the penalty of their disobedience. Yet some are found who for the slightest causes sin against GOD, by resisting those civil ordinances which He admonishes us to respect for His sake. Our fancies and conceits must not, however, be our guides in this matter. Submission is clearly commanded; and, if we claim exemption, we must, for such exemption, produce equally explicit authority!

But there is also a sin of omission, by which we offend against our rulers. We are taught to pray for "kings, and all that are in authority;" and this we do continually in the public prayer. But it may be doubted whether this command is obeyed, in the spirit of it, if we forget in our private devotions to pray for our

Sovereign; heartily, as for one in whose salvation and temporal welfare we are deeply interested. Nor for her alone; "all that are in authority" under her, have a claim on our pious regards, and ours will be the loss, if we fulfil not our duty in this respect. That much of the turbulence and wretchedness of these days may arise from our failing to commend to GOD, if we consider the motive, with which the Apostle supplies us, for the duty; which is to this very end, (in obedience to His will,) those who are charged with the maintenance of truth and justice, it is surely not unreasonable to suppose "that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life."

What a different world would this be, if we did but do our duty to all men; for to all do we owe this duty of prayer. We could not despise and resist rulers for whom we were supplicating GOD's blessing: we could not injure our brethren, (for we are all brethren) whose welfare we thus sincerely sought.

The subtilty of the sin of pride is strikingly shown by its intruding itself into those duties, by whose very nature it would seem entirely excluded; and this also is sad evidence of the degeneracy of our human nature. How often does the really humble and devout Christian find this accursed evil stealing in upon him, to mar the sacrifice offered upon the altar of his faithful heart; and in very bitterness of soul exclaim, "the thing that I would not, that I do," "who shall deliver me?" How often, though his whole being revolts from and abhors it, does he detect it in a feeling of complacency and self-satisfaction after the performance of any good and self-denying action, or unusual devotion in prayer: yea, does he not sometimes even feel proud of the depth of his humility, though the sensation be, perchance, scarcely recognised, and checked in agony as soon as suspected? Does not pride at times mingle with his thankfulness, when any acknowledge spiritual benefit from his exertions, or when he regards his own attainments in religion? What a horrible thing is this. Proud of the forgiveness of sin! Of that which we receive as a free gift, not for our merit, but for the ineffable worthiness of another; and the purchase of which caused unutterable pangs to the "Holy One of Israel," when He poured out His soul unto death for us His wretched and lost creatures. Surely, if we but look within, and there see the glorious likeness of GOD effaced; around, and gaze upon the wide-spread ruin in which sin has involved our unhappy race, we shall see abundant cause to hide pride from ourselves; though it will never be destroyed till taken to the Cross, and trampled under foot of Him Who took our curse upon Him.

May we not also express a fear that we, of this generation,

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