silver the leaves of the dark evergreens, glisten on the short winter grass and on the floating gossamers, make the hard gravel crisp under foot, and the air so fresh and clear, that we shall all feel glad and grateful, even as the little birds may be on this their reputed wedding-day.

From this day, they begin to pair, and soon will busy themselves in seeking a pleasant hiding-place for their pretty nurseries: soon they will begin to sing to put on their summer plumage; and indeed the woodlark and the thrush have already by their early song awakened some of our sweet flowers-the "fair maids of February," the snow-drop and the crocus.

From this time the book of nature, day by day, unfolds some page of beauty and of joy. Happy is the heart which takes delight to read therein of the wisdom and love of our gracious God! happy is he whose eye is unsealed to behold the beautiful, where'er it be.

The fourteenth of February! It is St. Valentine's day, and many a shop window throughout England is filled with silly pictures for the silly Valentine. It makes one marvel that a Christian people should so long keep up a pagan custom. Perhaps, however, all my readers may not know the origin of this thing. It was usual in the olden time, amongst the heathen at Rome and elsewhere, to assemble young people on the fifteenth of February, and to draw the names of one another by lot, in honour of their false goddess, Juno. The boys drew the names of girls, and the girls drew those of boys, and those who were thus paired, became lovers during the ensuing year. Of course it was not only a foolish but a dangerous practice, and much evil arose therefrom. When, therefore, our Lord and Saviour had become " a light to lighten the Gentiles," the early Christians renounced this custom, and instead of it they used to draw by lot the names of saints and martyrs, whose virtues they emulated, and by whose example they were guided all the following year. They

changed the day from the fifteenth to the fourteenth, in honour of a holy man named Valentine, who in a persecution of the Christians under Claudius, A.D. 270, was cruelly scourged, and afterwards put to death, for assisting the Christian martyrs, and steadfastly confessing his faith in the Lord Jesus.

This is the origin of our St. Valentine's day. Which does our practice most resemble-the heathen, or the Christian? Well, thanks be to God, it yet lies in our power to make a better use of the day than we may have done heretofore. And why should not you, my young village friends, instead of encouraging and receiving these foolish valentines, think over the characters of holy men and women now in heaven, and comparing your life with theirs, resolve, with God's help, from this day to be more like them in the beauty of holiness?

Perhaps it would be easier and more profitable if one character were chosen for particular imitation throughout the year: we are more likely to succeed when we give all our energies to the attainment of one thing, than if we divide our strength amongst many pursuits. Suppose, therefore, you consider what particular grace you most need in your daily duties, and under your present circumstances, and choose your model accordingly. Take, for instance, the apostles-any of them :-St. Peter for his zeal; St. John for his love and gentleness, his peaceful holiness; St. Paul for his self-denial, devotion, and fearlessness in God's service. Look at the meek humility and quiet thoughtfulness of Mary the mother of our Lord, pondering and keeping the words of God in her heart, and saying, "Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it unto me according to thy word." Look at the contrite spirit and exceeding love of Mary the Magdalene; the open heart and ready hand of Lydia; the diligence, the active benevolence of Dorcas; the usefulness of Phoebe. I need not point out more, nor need I bid you turn especially to

Him, the chiefest of ten thousand, in whom all fulness dwells-our perfect example in every good word and work. I am but sketching slightly a plan for the Christian's Valentine-day. Reader, try it for once.

Search out your heart, and see what grace you most need, Are you passionate? seek meekness: are you proud? seek humility: are you impatient? strive earnestly for a quiet spirit: or are you indolent, worldly, selfish, vain? consider these holy ones, how self-denying diligent, and heavenly-minded they were in all their life and conversation. Whichever saint you choose to imitate, study well his or her character, as you find it in the Word of God. One feature will stand out in every likeness the same-their love to the Lord Jesus: this binds them together in one family band; and see that your heart can own the relationship-love, an active faithful love to God our Saviour.

Up! and be doing, now, from this day. Watch the next outbreak of your bosom sin, and watch, and feel how weak you are in striving against it.

Strive not alone with any sin: seek not, hope not, to attain the least virtue by your own strength; but daily, hourly, earnestly look up to the Giver of all grace and strength, to help you in your desire to be more like his faithful servants now in glory-more like himself.

The year will pass on; and day by day, month by month, trials of joy and sorrow will come, sent by our God for good to each of us. If this time, next year, finds us grown in any grace-if we are more humble or more patient, more diligent or more unselfish, nearer to heaven by a twelvemonth's walk with God, shall we not have cause to bless Old Valentine's day, and remember as a day of note the fourteenth of February?

"L. L. C."

THE DUTIES OF SERVANTS.

Let us consider the example set by our blessed Lord as a servant and with reference to our Lord's humility, observe that nothing can be a stronger argument to all, for satisfaction in the state of life in which God has placed them. We find that the gospel made no interruption in the civil relation in which individuals stood to each other. We have a remarkable instance of this in the case of Onesimus, who was not a mere voluntary servant, but a bond-servant. And the apostle enjoined him to return to his master, as he exhorted, also, his master to receive him kindly. And in the Epistle to the Corinthians, he exhorts the Christians who might be in servitude, (observe not merely willing, but compulsory servitude,) not to seek for a change of their external condition. "Art thou called," he says, "being a servant? care not for it: but if thou mayest be free, use it rather. For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord's freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ's servant," (1 Cor. vii. 21, 22.) And with reference to Christian servants, he says, in his first epistle to Timothy, "Let as many servants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honour, that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed," (1 Tim. vi. 1) and, also, especially with reference to the duty of Christian servants to Christian masters; "And they that have believing masters, let them not despise them, but rather do them service, because they are faithful and beloved, partakers of the benefit." (1 Tim. vi. 2.) These, because they were on a level with their masters in regard to religious privileges, were not to withold from them their respect and reverence, but to serve them with double diligence, because partakers of the same free and gracious salvation. Here we see that the apostle not only exhorts Christian servants generally to carry themselves respectfully to their masters

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(as in Ephesians vi. 5, he enjoins them to be obedient to them that are their "masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling,") but that he enjoins the special necessity of this as it regarded their conduct to believing masters; because there was a tendency, in consequence of their equality in spiritual things, to lead them to suppose that it removed the necessity for this deference with regard to their temporal relation. And let it not be supposed by servants that there is anything derogatory to their independence in the manifestation of this respect. It is essential to the preservation of the social fabric, that the distinctions of the several classes should be observed, nor is it any degradation to any man to pay to another that deference, which is in turn required by him from those, who, in the providence of God, are placed under him.

Again, we would urge upon servants the duty of fidelity, from the example of Him who took the office of a servant, and was made faithful to Him that appointed him. With reference to this we may observe that the apostle, in illustrating the office of the Christian ministry generally, under the figure of a stewardship, says, "Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful;" and that because a steward has a trust committed to him. Now this extends to all servants: all such as are in places of trust and confidence. And when I urge upon them fidelity, I do not warn them against dishonesty, either open or indirect, of which there are many sorts that servants may be guilty of, and into which I will not enter. I would not suppose the possibility of it in those I address. But I speak under the head of fidelity, of the desire which they ought to feel to identify themselves with their master's interests. A faithful servant will feel that his master's affairs, to whatever extent he is concerned with them, are committed to his care, and that it is his duty to suffer nothing to be done which his master does not allow, and to conceal nothing which his master ought to know.